Kakurenbo
by Michi G
Summary: AU. Lina's problems begin when she owes Xellos, aka the Mysterious Millionaire, money. Now he owns her? What will Lina do to escape him if she can? Chap. 10 end up! Sorry for the HUGE delay!
1. Lina's First Day

*Author's Notes: Yes, this is my first Slayers fic and sorry to those who like Gourry and Lina pairing... Gourry's not even in this. (Gomen nasai yo!) Anyway, I'm not sure if it'll be a X/L or a Z/L pairing. By the way, Zel's a normal guy in this, just FYI. Hmm, another FYI: "Sou ka" is usually translated as "I see" while "Sou desu ka" is translated like "Is that right?" I hope that doesn't confuse anyone (I love Japanese)! So, if that hasn't made you declare this fic crap, then by all means please read (and review, if you'd be so kind)!! ^_^   
  


**Kakurenbo**   
  
Michi G.   
  
**Chapter One: Lina's First Day**

  
  


A month was too long for Lina Inverse to remember a promise. Too much had happened between the time she had made it; she had collected a large reward for turning in a nefarious band of thieves and spent it all in three days at three different restaurants. She had traveled to Polopi where it was rumored that a dragon was guarding an ancient treasure. That venture only ended up making Lina do more traveling and work than she would have liked to discover it was nothing. Lina had even won a sword-fighting tournament, but the funds gained from that, too, were gone in another of Lina's feasting. 

When she had received a letter from Hadin, two days earlier, she immediately remembered what she had carefully forgotten. So, off Lina went to Hadin to talk over the matter to the one she had promised, intending to cut some kind of deal with him. After all, Lina's wasn't just a good fighter; she was a good negotiator as well. 

Lina didn't know why, but he always seemed to be the least willing to make things simple. It could all be so simple if he only… 

"Listen, it's not as if you _need_ that money I borrowed from you. Another month isn't going to matter to you." 

"Sou desu, but you wrote a written promise that within a month, you'd have the five thousand gold pieces for me." He took a sip of his tea calmly. 

Lina rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. "Come on, I told you I forgot," she said. "Cut me a little slack, okay?" 

"Zan'nen da [1], but I can't." 

"Sure you can!" 

"Written contracts are made to be followed." 

"Tear it up!" 

"If I tear up the contract this time, how will I be sure that you'll return the money in another month or any amount of time?" 

"Eto--" 

"I'm afraid I'm going to have to take drastic measures." He grinned as he set down his teacup on the saucer. 

"What...what do you mean?" Lina blinked as he held up the contract and pointed to some small script at the bottom. 

"What does it say?" 

"It says if you don't have the money to pay me back in a month, I determine the method you must pay me." 

"Nani?" Lina said. She snatched the paper from his hands and leaned in close in an attempt to read what it said. Indeed, the words he had spoken were there. 

"I took a good month to think of a good way to solve your problem of owing me money…" 

_Chikusho!_ Lina thought. _I must have been to much in a rush to read the whole thing through! Demo, I had to have that money… Onechan…onechan would have killed me!_

"…for a year, the debt will be lifted," he concluded. 

"What? What did you say?" 

"If you work for me for a year, the debt will be lifted." 

"Work…for…_you_??" Lina repeated, standing up. She raised her fists. "Joudan ja nai yo!" 

"I'm quite serious, Lina-san," he said, grasping the handle of the teacup again. "You will do whatever I ask of you until your year is up." 

Lina snorted and folded her arms over her chest. "What makes you think that I'll agree to that?" 

"We have a contract." 

"I don't care." 

He brought the teacup to his lips and took a long drink before setting the teacup down again. "Ah, sou ka. Demo, I bet you would care if the police knew about those certain incidents you're responsible for?"

A small sweat drop formed at the side of Lina's head. Instantly several "incidents" that could incriminate her came to mind. However, she merely coughed and forced a smug smile. 

"Daijoubu," Lina said. "Even if they lock me up, they can't lock me up for too long. They don't have enough proof to finger me." 

"Naru hodo [2]." His voice grew lower and more menacing, causing Lina to loose a bit of her front. "I guess even if they locked you up for a week, you wouldn't mind the prison food. I hear it's not even fit for animals to eat." 

The color drained from Lina's face. To be in confinement was one thing; to be denied the thing most precious to her, good food, was another thing. 

_Serving him is ludicrous… Demo, nasty food for a week or more…I couldn't stand it!!_

Lina let out a frustrated cry and plopped down into her chair again. "All right; you win, Xellos," she said. 

Xellos smiled, making Lina feel queasy at the sight of his patronizing expression. "I'm glad that you see it my way," he said. 

Lina narrowed her amber eyes, resisting her urge to take his teacup and dump its contents on his head. _You might have won for today, Xellos, but Lina Inverse is one girl that always ends up on top._   
  
***  
  


Being at the beck and call of the richest man in Hadin, Xellos Metallium, was the worst experience Lina could have (next to eating horrible food). Xellos lacked any servants to maintain his rather large house, yet it was as clean as if he did. That, among other little facts about the man gave him the nickname of the "Mysterious Millionaire." Where did Xellos get all of his money from? No one, but he knew the answer, but the rumor was that Xellos worked for some superior that paid him well. 

Lina, as well as anyone who knew of Xellos, had a pretty good idea that Xellos were up to no good. Why else would he keep his occupation secret? Obviously it wasn't an embarrassing job. Lina had know Xellos for a few years and wouldn't exactly call him "humble." 

Lina entered one of the many rooms Xellos owned and closed the door behind her. "There's _gotta_ be something in the house I can use against Xellos," she murmured to herself. She went to a large oak desk and began searching through it. 

Letters and other documents were stored in there, all neatly organized by subject, date, and importance. Lina was a bit amazed by the extent Xellos kept that area tidy. If Lina had ever chose to own a house, her letters would be as easy to find as two identical snowflakes. She browsed through a stack of papers that had been bonded by a string to discover they were merely records of furniture Xellos had purchased. Lina sighed and replaced them. She frowned, wondering where Xellos kept his contracts. Her instinct told her the contract she had signed with him wasn't the only one he possessed. Surely, Lina would get her hands on one that had illegal contents within it. Or, perhaps, she could find evidence of something Xellos had stolen. 

Lina opened a drawer full of envelopes sealed with a red stamp just before she heard steps in the hallway. She muttered a curse, hurriedly closed the drawer, and slowly exited the room. Xellos nearly ran into her as she left. 

"Ah, Lina-san," Xellos said, "I was just looking for you. I had hoped you hadn't left while I was gone." 

"Hmph," Lina said, putting her hands on her hips. "Where would I go? I live her now, don't I?" 

"Well, you don't have to say that with so much contempt. I think I own a very nice home, don't you think?" 

"Well, _you_ don't have to make that cocky smile all the time." She ignored his question. 

Xellos's expression turned to that of innocent ignorance. "Cocky smile?" he said. 

Lina balled a fist at her side. "You have something else for me to do?" she said calmly despite her physical signs of aggression. "I've done everything you said since you left. I removed the weeds from your garden, hung up the twenty paintings in your art gallery, put fresh wood in all of the wood bins by your fireplaces, set all the clocks in the house to the same time, and put your news rugs in the appropriate rooms." 

"Wonderful," Xellos said, same smile she claimed he had made popping up again. "Lina-san, you truly are amazing. I didn't expect you to have even half of that done when I returned." 

_I had to make sure I had time to snoop around_, Lina thought then said, "Well, you're talking to Lina Inverse here. There's little that's above my capabilities." 

The "cocky smile Lina claimed Xellos to have slid into what Lina liked to call the "sinister" smile. "Wakatta [3]," he said. 

Ignoring the twinge of unease she experienced, Lina stood with the same cool appearance. "Ne, Xellos," she said. 

The sinister look disappeared as fast as it had came. "Hai?" 

"These tasks you asked me to do… How would you get them done if I weren't here to do them? Surely you don't do them yourself." 

"Sou desu." 

"So…do you have some maid or something that comes in?" 

"Hmm, well, you see…" 

"Yes?" 

Xellos extended his index finger and opened his violet eye. "Sore wa himitsu desu." 

Lina drew in a breath. "I should have guessed you would say that," she said. She composed herself enough to ask him again of her duties. "So, what do I have to do next?" 

"Oh, nothing much," Xellos said, waving his hand. 

"Nothing much, huh?" 

"Hai." 

Lina lowered her eyelids. "What is it?" 

"I want you to attend a certain party." 

"Party? Naze?" 

"Ah, sore wa himitsu desu!" 

"Xellos!" Lina barked, taking a step closer to him. "I'm not going to some strange party without knowing the purpose!" 

"Hmm, sou desu ka?" Xellos said, putting a finger to his chin. 

"Sou yo!" 

"Demo, Lina-san," Xellos reminded her, "you don't have any right to refuse me. You are obligated to do whatever I ask, questions answered or unanswered." 

Lina's face turned red and she moved further up so that she were in Xellos's face. "Okay, then tell me this: " she relented, "if this is so important, how come _you_ aren't going to this party?" 

"But I am," Xellos said. He grinned at the confusion on Lina's face. "Lina-san, you shouldn't fight so much. Save your strength for the party." 

"Why should I do that?" 

"Just be a good girl and do what I tell you, _Lina-chan_." He leaned in close and gave her a peck on her cheek. 

"He-hey!" Lina said, flushing. She swung at him, missing terribly. 

Xellos walked past her, waving a hand above his head. "Meet me in the third study in a few minutes, and I'll give you a few more details." 

Lina placed a hand on her cheek, glaring at Xellos's retreating back. _Who…who does he think he is??_ she thought. She made an aggravated sound. _Mou! There's no way I'm going to be able to tolerate Xellos for much longer!_

Lina, though reluctant to follow Xellos's orders, headed in the direction opposite of Xellos. She hated to think of it as such, but she the room she entered was technically hers. Well, at any rate she used the room. It was certainty nicer than most places she stayed at during her travels, but Lina didn't enjoy it regardless. It was owned by Xellos just like everything else in the house. Just like…herself. 

Lina shook her head over and over again. "Chiga! [4]" she told herself. "Xellos doesn't own me. _No one_ will ever own Lina Inverse!" She began going through a bag she had brought with her. Not that she was concerned about looking good, but she was decided to change her clothes. Surely Xellos would have told her if it were formal, so she went for something she'd be comfortable in; she had gotten dirty in Xellos's garden. 

Lina changed into her normal outfit of a yellow shirt and black pants. She replaced her round earrings and black headband. As she got ready, she had a flash of Xellos saying "save your strength for the party." Lina glared in empty space as if he were there saying it again. 

_What the hell is that supposed to mean? she wondered. Knowing Xellos it has to have a secret meaning._

"Xellos-me," Lina muttered. She went out of the room and traveled slowly down the hall where she knew Xellos would be waiting.   
  
***  
  


Lina held a hand to her head as she stood just short of the gates where the invitations were collected. Xellos had given her an invitation, allowing her access to the party, yet the whole thing seemed fishy. Xellos was not to accompany her; she was to go in alone. Once inside she was to have "fun." Lina doubted this "fun" and doubted Xellos would ever attend the party. The fact that some of the attending people were vaguely familiar to Lina didn't build her confidence in Xellos. What was the importance of Lina being there? 

The number of people decreased at the gate, so Lina chose that moment to enter the establishment. It was an nice-sized house (yet smaller than Xellos's) and worth mentioning. The man at the gate blinked at her when she approached and looked her up and down. 

"You were invited to this party?" he asked. 

"Why else would I be here?" Lina snapped. "Here." She flicked her invitation to him. 

"Hmm…I guess you check out," he said. He opened the gates for her. "Have a good time." 

"Hmph," Lina said as she walked past him. She remained with her cocky attitude for about ten seconds. As she neared the door of the house, she began to feel uneasy again. 

_What is this strange feeling?_ she silently asked herself. _Am I just paranoid or is it a valid emotion?_

Lina entered the house, was ushered to a dining hall where the other guests were, and examined her surroundings. She felt several eyes upon her as she stepped further in the room, but she did her best to ignore that. The room became silent, but Lina calmly poured herself a cup of punch as if nothing were out of the ordinary. 

"Lina Inverse?" 

Lina brought her cup from her lips and eyed a man with a scar along his face addressing her from the middle of the room. "Hmm?" 

"We were warned you'd crash our party!" the scarred one said. Others around him made knowing glances. 

"Dare [5]?" Lina said, setting her cup down on the table. 

The man chuckled. "So, you've forgotten us, huh?" he said. "Do you remember stealing a valuable bracelet from a pack of thieves a year ago?" 

Lina blinked and rubbed her cheek with her index finger. "Eto…let me see…a year ago…" she mused. 

"Sou da!" 

"Hmm…" Lina said, frowning in concentration. She remained like this for a full minute before smiling sheepishly. "Gomen, doesn't ring a bell!" 

All but the scarred man fell over in disbelief. The man, however, form a bead of at the side of his head. 

"Doesn't matter," the man said. The others rose from the floor. "We, the Vultures, will pay you back for ruining our plan!" His words were followed by a cheer of agreement. 

"What are yo talking about?" Lina said, tossing her hair back coolly. "Doesn't seem to me that you're doing badly at all." 

"Get her!!" the man who was obviously the leader said. 

Lina grinned as men began approaching her with swords and other weapons. "He, this is _almost_ unexpected," she said. 

Lina grabbed the ladle from the punch bowl to punch bowl to block an incoming strike to her left. She was about to get attacked from behind, but she rolled out of the way, under the table, making her attackers accidentally strike a few of their members. As she came from the other side of the table, a few sword swipes almost took off her head, but she was just fast enough to evade the blade. Using brute force and her ladle, she managed to push through the group that was now advancing towards her and begin to run off. Just as she predicted, the Vultures followed her in suit, allowing Lina a little more advantage. 

"Don't let her get away!" she heard the Vulture leader call from behind her. 

Lina smirked and shook her head. _These guys are obviously two bit,_ she thought, leading them through the back exit of the house. _Didn't they even think to close me in before attacking? Hmph, no wonder I beat them before… Demo, this can't be a coincidence. It's all planned a little too well…_   
  
***  
  


Xellos entered the dining hall, viewing the empty room. "Ara, ara," he said, displaying his sinister grin. "Now where did everyone go?" He turned his grin upon the chandelier hanging from the center of the ceiling.   
  
***  
  


Lina dusted off her hands and cracked her back. "Guess the party's over," she said. "Zan'nen da, I didn't get anything to eat. Oh, well." She put a hand to her face. "Hmm, what should I do now?" 

"O…ono…" 

"Hmm?" Lina glared down at the pile of men she had disposed of. Apparently one just didn't want to give up. She smirked and walked over to the man struggling to lift his head from the ground. 

"Onore… Li…na… In…verse…" 

"Ah, gomen," Lina said, "did I forget to put you to sleep?" Lina kicked him firmly in the jaw, causing his head to jerk up before it fell limp to the ground. "O-ya-su-mi." 

Lina grinned at her finished job and started off for Xellos's, figuring her obligation to Xellos was finished. She had moved maybe a good foot before she heard a voice calling her name. Lina stopped and turned back to see Xellos approaching her. 

"Lina-san!" Xellos cried again, waving his hand as if she couldn't see him. 

"Xellos?" Lina was only puzzled at his sight for a few seconds; rage overtook her quickly. "Xellos!! What's the meaning of this??" 

Xellos carefully stepped over the unconscious people in order to stand by Lina. 

"What do you mean?" he asked with his innocent look. 

"Don't play dumb with me! This whole party was a setup!" 

"Setup?" Xellos put a hand to his chin as if thinking, and then dropped it as he smiled. "I guess that's one way of putting it." 

"Why did you do it?" 

"Hmm…sore wa himitsu desu." 

"'Sore wa himitsu desu…'" Lina mimicked. She grabbed Xellos by his collar and pulled him close to her face. "What's wrong with you?? Don't you ever give a straight answer??" 

"Mochiron[6]!" Xellos said. "It's just that I can't tell you why I had to set you up." 

"Where have you been anyway?" Lina demanded. "Hiding in the shadows until I finished beating up these guys?" 

"Well, um… I had some business to take care of," Xellos said, waving his hand to indicate it was nothing. "When I finished, I came looking for you." 

Lina threw him upon the ground. "Ow…" he said, looking up at her as if he were hurt. "Doushita no, Lina-san?" 

"You wanna know what's wrong?? What's wrong is working for you! It's only been one day, Xellos--one day!" 

"Sou yo," Xellos agreed, standing up and dusting himself off. "It's only been one day. It will get easier in time." 

"No!" Lina said. "I've had it! I can't take it anymore!" 

"Lina-san, wouldn't you like to go back to my place and eat?" Xellos suggested. He began walking down the path that lead to the direction of his house. 

"No, I would--" 

"Or maybe you'd like to try some of the prison food," Xellos interrupted. He never slowed a step. 

Lina's mouth shut on its own. She may have wanted to scream at Xellos some more, but the mention of terrible food made her stomach take control of her body. A wave of nausea passed over her at the thought of "prison food." Lina followed Xellos with a face of half disgust and half fury. 

"Prison food…" she muttered while Xellos babbled on about what they could eat for dinner, "the only thing that competes with you, Xellos, for my disgust."   
  
  
  


To be continued... 

[1] "It's too bad"   
[2] "I see"   
[3] "I understand"   
[4] "That's wrong"   
[5] "Who are you?"   
[6] "Of course"   
  
* Uh... I'll try to use less Japanese next time if that's aggravating... ^_^ 


	2. Lina's Last Day

Author's Notes: I would say that after this chapter, the real story begins. The first two chapters are more like how the game of Kakurenbo (hide-and-go-seek) began. Anyway, I tried to use less Japanese and Zelgadis makes his appearance in this chapter! Oh, and the amount of feedback I get will determine what the ending couple will be. I'm not opposed to Lina with either one. Well, that's all and thanks for those who reviewed! ^_^   
  


**Chapter Two: Lina's Last Day**

  
  
  
  


Lina had finally gotten a break. Well, actually Xellos had made her do some shopping for him in town the next morning, and she had taken a rest in one of Hadin's cafés. She was pleased to find someone she knew she could count on in her time of need. 

"Iie." 

"Please, Zelgadis! Aren't we friends??" 

"Friends?" Zelgadis repeated, narrowing his eyes. "Since when do your _friends_ try to sell you into slavery??" 

Lina sweat-dropped and laughed quietly. "Zel, you're not _still_ mad over that, are you?" she asked. "I've told you a million times, I was just using you to get to that crooked slave owner." 

"Keyword 'using you,'" Zelgadis said. He looked away from her, staring off in the distance. 

"Gomen, Zel!" Lina said, putting on her most pitiful face. "Come on, I really need your help." 

"What's in it for me?" 

"The satisfaction you helped me out?" 

"What's in it for _me_?" 

Lina sweat-dropped again. "Okay, how about I pay you for your help?" she offered. 

"How can you pay me when you can't even pay Xellos?" 

"Daijoubu, daijoubu. If everything goes like my plan, we'll both profit from this." 

"Hontou," Zelgadis said, staring at her half-lidded. 

"Uhn! Sou! Sou!" Lina nodded to assure him. 

Zelgadis let out a breath. "I_ know_ I shouldn't get involved…" 

"But you will, ne?" Zelgadis gave her a reluctant look, forcing her to be more relentless. "Ne? Ne? _Ne_??" 

"All right!" Zelgadis said, stopping the infinite "ne's". "I'll help you out." 

"All ri--" 

"Shikashi (However)." 

"Shikashi?" Lina was mid raising her arms in a cheer. 

"You better end up paying me," Zelgadis said, regretting his decision already. 

"I assure you, Zelgadis," Lina said, making an "okay" sigh, "that's the last thing I have worry about." 

Zelgadis nodded and ran his hands through his bluish-purple hair. "I _know_ this is a bad idea…" he muttered to himself. 

"Nani?" Lina said, smiling at him. 

"Nanimo nai (Nothing)," Zelgadis said. "What's your plan, by the way?" 

Lina rubbed her hands together and made a mischievous smile. "Well, it starts out like this…" she said, voice lowered as if she didn't want to be overheard.   
  
***   
  


Lina's good mood only lasted as long as she stayed away from Xellos. Upon entering his house, her good feeling disappeared as if the man who lived there was a vampire who sucked the happy from people. The first night Lina had stayed at Xellos's, the food was already prepared for her when she ate dinner. However, it seemed that this time would be different. 

"Excuse me?" Lina said, brows lowering. 

"I'm horrible at these kinds of things," Xellos said. "I'm sure Lina Inverse is capable of this, however." 

"I can, but I won't!" Lina said, desiring to throw the bags of food in his face. 

Xellos chuckled which if it had been anyone, but him, Lina would have dismissed it as pleasant. However, this sound of amusement came from the purple-haired one, making Lina incredibly angry. It wasn't nice, it was friendly--it was disdainful. 

"Lina-san, why do you make a big deal out of simple tasks I ask you to perform?" Xellos asked, faking a disappointed look. 

Lina knew steam came out of her ears at that point. "Xellos! Why do I have to do this now instead of from the beginning??" she demanded. 

"Well, um--" 

"Who cooked for you yesterday??" 

"Xellos put a finger to his chin as if pondering that. "Saa (Who knows)…" he said. 

"What do you mean 'saa??' You live here, don't you?? Don't you know where your food comes from??" 

"Now that's a silly question," Xellos said. "It comes from the grocery store, naturally." 

That was the straw that broke the camel's back. Lina fell to the floor and lied there, unwilling to move when having to deal with such a difficult person. Xellos watched for a long time with puzzlement before he took matters into his own hands. 

"Well, I suppose I could give this a try," Xellos said. He rolled up his sleeves and approached his kitchen counter. 

"Huh?" Lina said, lifting her head from the floor as she heard the sound of a knife rapidly tapping a cutting board and the movement of pots and pans. As Lina got to her feet, she nearly fell over again at the sight of Xellos cooking something at an incredible speed while wearing a pink apron. Her mouth was wide with surprise and her feet were frozen in place. 

"Xe-Xe-Xellos!" Lina said, admiring the ease at which he cooked. "I don't believe it!" 

Xellos slid more ingredients into a nearly full pot and closed it with its lid. "Well, I didn't get rich by accident," he said, patiently waiting for his meal to finish. 

His bragging allowed Lina to get over her shock. "Hmph, are you telling me that your wealth is because of your great cooking?" Lina asked. 

Xellos shook his finger at her. "Now, now, Lina-san," he said, "if I told you that, I wouldn't be the 'Mysterious Millionaire,' ne?" 

The goofy, open-mouthed smile Xellos made after that made Lina mutter, "I doubt any information you'd reveal about yourself would dissolve that title…" 

"Ee (Huh)?" 

"Nanimo," Lina said. She pointed to the pot. "Come on, let's see what you made." 

Xellos nodded and took off the lid when Lina stepped closer. A sort of green fog loomed from the metal pot and quickly filled the entire room. Before Lina actually acted on her disgust of the smell like old cabbage, manure, and sulfur, she was able to get a look inside of the pot. It might have been the green fog, but Lina could swear she saw the solid ingredients of the soup (Lina guessed it to be something of the sort) were desperately trying to jump out of the seaweed-colored liquid. Lina, now on the floor again managed to breath a few words to Xellos. 

"Wha…What…is…that??" 

Xellos smiled and grabbed a spoon so that he could taste the soup. "It's my special chicken soup," he said after actually consuming some of the horrible concoction. "Demo, don't ask for the recipe because sore wa himitsu desu!" 

Upon hearing the four words Lina hated most from Xellos's mouth, Lina found the strength to move her legs enough to knock Xellos off his feet. 

"Who in their right mind would want that??" she snapped, despite the awful odor in the room. 

Xellos merely laughed, rubbing his head in both pain and false modesty.   
  
***   
  


Lina couldn't remember the last time she had cooked--I mean, really cooked. Sure she had fried some fish or something on her travels, but that was about as far she had gone. Any other time she had bought her food, or found some way to get a nice person to give her a free meal. This would be the first time in years she was making a meal for herself (and Xellos). It had taken a while to remove the odor of Xellos's "chicken soup" from the kitchen, but only a minute to dispose of it. During the removal of the green liquid, Xellos had disappeared somewhere, but could be heard elsewhere in his abode. Though Lina desired greatly to know what he was up to (especially if it could incriminate him), she were most worried about having something to eat later. Presently her hunger was at a minimum, thanks to Zelgadis's generosity (after much persuasion). 

Lina sighed and continued to chop up vegetables. "Saite (This sucks)," she said, considering making something quick and easy. It wasn't that Lina was having a difficult time, it was just it took too much time and she had to wait around until it was all done. 

"Just hold on," Lina told herself as she leaned next to the oven, "after tomorrow, I'll be free and with money to boot!" 

"Lina-san!" Lina heard Xellos call her from a different room. 

Lina sweat-dropped and looked in the direction she had been called. "Nani??" 

"When you're through cooking, would you help me on the third floor?" 

_Third floor_? Lina thought. _He can't be possibly talking all the way from up there…_

"Oh, sure!" Lina called back, lowering her eyelids. 

"Arigatou!" Xellos's voice seemed more distant now. 

Lina balled up a fist. "Help him, huh?" she muttered. "The only thing I'll help him with is meeting my fist!" She continued to grumble to herself through the rest of the food preparation.   
  
***   
  


It was late afternoon by the time Lina had finished dinner she assumed they would be eating later at night. Now on the third floor, she saw nor heard any sign of Xellos. Her first thought was that he was tricking her and wanted her on the third floor while he was on another. 

"Xellos!" Lina said, cupping her hands around her mouth. "Doko da (Where are you)??" 

"Kochi (This way)," came a faint voice down the hall behind her. 

Lina frowned and followed the sound of his voice. It lead her to a rather large room, like a bedroom, with a smaller room attached. Lina knew very well it was possible Xellos was in the smaller room, but she would call him again before entering the room. For all she knew, it could be a trap and Xellos could be hiding in one of the closets. 

"Xellos, are you in here?" Lina asked, carefully listening for the source of his voice. 

"Hai! In the next room!" 

Lina approached the door leading into the next room, getting the same bad feeling she had experienced from the party last night. _Koichi, eh_? she thought as she grasped the handle of the door. 

Lina turned the knob and opened the door, her face set in preparation for whatever awaited her on the other end. One glance at what was in the next room made her hurriedly shut it back and slump in front of the door beet red. 

"Na…nan da yo (What the)??" Lina gasped, her eyes wide open. 

"Hmm? Lina-san?" Xellos said, behind the door. 

Lina composed herself and got back to her feet. "Xellos, what the hell was that??" she demanded of the door more than to him. "Did you call me up here just to play a joke on me??" 

"Iie, I really do need your help," Xellos said. Lina could see him smiling on the other side. No wood was strong enough to cover one of Xellos's penetrating smiles. 

"What in the world could I possibly help you with in there??" 

"Well…" Xellos cut himself off in quiet laughter. 

"_Yes_?" 

"Well, I just wanted you to wash my back, if it's not too much trouble." 

Lina moved away from the door and started talking to herself. "The devil… I signed a contract with the devil!" she said. She got on her knees and began talking to the ceiling. "Kami-sama, whatever I've done to deserve this, please forgive me. If it's that house I accidentally caused to burn down--" 

"Lina-san? Are you still there?" 

Lina snapped her fingers. "If I just sneak out quietly…" she whispered, carefully crawling toward the door. 

"Aa, zan'nen da (That's too bad), I forgot to tell Lina something important about our contract…" 

Lina froze, nearly to the door by then. "Hmm?" she said only loud enough for her to hear. 

"If she continues to refuse my requests, I can lengthen her servitude toward me--" Lina gulped as he said that. "--Or induce interest on the amount of money she owes me." 

Lina laughed silently and rushed back to the door. "Xellos," she said as if he were a dear friend. 

"Ah, Lina-san," Xellos said as though he were surprised. "Are you back?" 

"Hai, I just need to change out of the apron I was wearing before." 

"Sou ka," Xellos said. "For a moment I thought you were refusing me again." 

Lina waved her hand as though Xellos could see her. "Nani? Why would I do a thing like that?" 

"Ii (Good)! Please do come in then." 

Lina drew in a great breath and entered the bathroom again. Like before Xellos was sitting in the tub full of suds with a little less than half of him exposed. He grinned at Lina with his eternally closed eyes and pointed to a cloth hanging on the rack on the wall. She took the cloth and mocked his smiling, eyes-closed routine. 

"Xellos?" Lina said sweetly despite wanting to throw the bar of soap at him that he had handed to her. 

"Hai?" 

"If I asked you how you've done this for yourself in the past, would I get an answer?" 

"It's really difficult," Xellos said, patiently waiting to feel her hands on his back. 

"So, why don't you buy a back scrubber??" Lina was careful to dip the cloth slightly in the water to prevent any contact with the submerged portion of Xellos. 

"I never thought of that." His smile spread out thinly on his face. 

Lina lathered up the cloth and muttered, "Yeah, right." She grimaced as she looked at Xellos's back and reluctantly began to rub it with the cloth. 

"Ah, this should be a daily thing," Xellos sighed. "Lina-san, you have such a soothing touch." 

_Uruse_ (Shut up)…Lina thought pressing more forcefully into his back. _Maybe if I do this hard enough, I can force his head forward and he can drown…_

"Maybe you should change your profession to massager," Xellos suggested in a sleepy tone. "You have more strength than most men." 

_What the hell is he implying??_ Lina thought. Now she was scrubbing his back speedily and roughly as if he was a shirt against a washboard. 

"Not…so…hard…" Xellos said, afraid Lina would tear off his back. 

Lina stopped and placed her fake smile on once again. "Ah, gomen nasai," she said. She smirked at his red back and set the cloth on the rack again. "Well, I'm done." 

Xellos watched her walk for the door and fixed a grin on his face. "Lina-san." 

"Nani?" Lina said, not bothering to turn around. 

"If you were suddenly to disappear, I'd be quite upset, you know." 

Lina's brows nearly met with her amber-colored eyes. "Nani?" she said. _That's a particularly random thing to say… _she thought. 

Xellos slid down in the tub so that he was up to his neck in the water. "You know, if something happened to you," he said as if he were talking about the weather. "If you were in trouble or something like that." 

"Hmph." Lina smirked and opened the door. "No offense, Xellos, but I find that hard to believe." 

Xellos merely chuckled to himself as she shut the door behind her. "She's_ so_ interesting…"   
  
***  
  


Xellos had slept really well the other night after a wonderful meal. He had expected Lina to cook something pleasing, but even he was amazed. Lina certainty knew about what tasted good and what didn't, and Xellos could definitely appreciate her cooking talent. Yes, Xellos had been correct in assuming Lina could easily cook for him. For some reason he was quite aware of what Lina Inverse could and could not do. Well, he was aware of what she would refuse to do. Her list of inabilities were few if any. She was a known skilled swordsman and one of the best fighters know. She was also known for less flattering things, but those who knew that were even fewer. Most only knew the rumors of the "crimes" Lina had committed. With Xellos being the main source of the knowledge of her incriminating facts, it was safer than money at a bank. 

The smile on Xellos's face was not to fade for any reason today. Even when he opened the door to Lina's room and found her gone, the smile remained. It was not diminished by the sight of a crude ransom note let unceremoniously near her bed. In fact, all these details caused Xellos's smile to expand. 

"Noon… fifty thousand gold pieces…" he read. "That much, huh? Well, I better 'procure' this amount in that case…"   
  
***   
  


"Lina, is this really going to work?" 

"Nani itten da ka (What are you talking about), Zel? Of _course_, it's going to work!" 

Zelgadis held down his head, trying not to think of the ridiculous outfit he was wearing: a black bandana that concealed his hair, a black mask revealing his blue eyes, a long black cloak, and a black shirt and pants. Lina didn't seem to mind the outfit while she was tied to a tree beside him. Zelgadis lifted his head, and pulled down his mask. 

"How did you ever come up with this?" he asked. Lina just laughing, showing off her teeth. "Never mind…" 

Zelgadis eyed the near-gone shadow of a nearby tree, telling him it was almost noon. He lifted his mask back up and informed Lina to act like his prisoner rather than like she was on vacation. Lina frowned as if she had stupidly fallen into a kidnapper's hands. 

"Here he comes," Zelgadis said, drawing his sword. Even if they weren't deceiving Xellos, he would have drawn a weapon--who would trust such a suspicious character as Xellos. 

Xellos came casually, holding a rather large trunk under his arm as he came. Lina upon seeing the case of money, began to feel excited, but fought not to show it. Glancing at Zelgadis, who seemed quite perfect for the role, she felt even more confident about her plan. It was going to work--Xellos's being there with the money was proof enough. 

Xellos set down the trunk with a heavy sound and smiled at the glaring Zelgadis. They stood about five feet apart and Zelgadis stepped closer to Lina. Lina did a wonderful performance of seeming nervous when Zelgadis brought his sword closer to her neck. Xellos's look was unchanged. 

"So, you're the kidnapper, I presume?" he said as if not stating the obvious. 

"Give me the money or the girl will have a new breathing hole in her neck," Zelgadis said. His voice was halfway hidden, but Lina could recognize it anywhere. 

"I brought it," Xellos said, motioning his head toward the trunk. "All fifty thousand gold pieces." 

"Ii zo (Good)," Zelgadis said. He swiftly cut the rope tied snugly around Lina. Her surprise during that action was genuine; he was close to cutting her as well. 

_Zel…anata…(you) _she thought, eyeing him with angry wonder. He was a little too comfortable playing the villain. 

"You kick the trunk over here and I'll give you the girl," Zelgadis said, "after I make sure the money's all there." 

"Hmph, what if you don't give her back at all?" Xellos said, shaking a finger. 

Though Zelgadis's smile couldn't be seen, the movements of his lips into the expression were seen. "Sou ne," he said. "Open the chest then." 

"Hai," Xellos complied. He leaned down and opened the chest, the sun reflection off the many coins. 

Lina's mouth dropped open. "Ah, suge!" she said. Her shock nearly made her move forward into the tip of Zelgadis's blade. "That's a whole lot of money! 

"Betsu ni (Not really)," Xellos shrugged, closing the trunk back. He stood straight again. "So will we be trading?" 

Zelgadis nodded. "You slide the trunk toward me and I let the girl go," he said. 

"Yoshi." Xellos positioned his foot behind the trunk. 

Zelgadis paused fro a moment and then nodded when they were to make the trade. Xellos shoved the trunk forward as Zelgadis pushed Lina toward Xellos. Zelgadis quickly took the trunk in his arms and started away. Xellos watched him contently as if he had lost no great amount. Lina stared at him in disbelief, expecting him to be at least regretting the loss money to some degree. 

"Xellos, I can't believe you spent that much to get me back," Lina said, arms folded. 

"Well, Lina-san, you_ are_ very important to me," Xellos said, rubbing the back of his head. 

"I'm so sure…" Lina muttered. "Demo, won't you miss fifty thousand gold coins?" 

"Iie, I won't," Xellos said, smiling in the distance as if expecting something. 

"You won't?" Lina raised a brow. 

"Because I didn't _loose_ fifty thousand gold coins." 

"Nani?" 

A loud, furious cry was heard far in the forest, as well as someone running at an incredible speed in their direction. Lina diverted her attention momentarily to see exactly what or who was coming. A few seconds later Zelgadis came into view, holding the trunk over his head as if he were going to break it in half. 

"Is this some kind of joke??" Zelgadis demanded. He threw the chest down on the ground, causing it to shake. 

"Huh?" Lina said, somehow getting the distinct feeling her plan was going astray. 

Zelgadis pulled out a coin and took the gold foil off it, revealing it to be a chocolate. "These aren't gold coins!" 

"Sou desu!" Xellos said. "They're a large supply of chocolate coins I had lying around the house!" 

"Xe…Xellos…" Lina swallowed and wondered why her apprehension was growing. 

"Onore…" Zelgadis drew his sword. 

"Now, now, Zelgadis," Xellos said, grinning at their shocked expressions, "don't you think this charade has gone on long enough?" 

Zelgadis sheathed his sword and pulled down his mask. "I knew this wouldn't work…" he said. 

"How…how did you know?" Lina gasped. 

"Simple!" Xellos said, holding up a finger. "Who in their right mind would want even try to kidnap Lina Inverse? I find it hard to believe someone would succeed so easily. I mean, Lina-san, there weren't even any sings of struggle in your room." 

"…ah, sou…" Lina said, wiping sweat from her brow. 

"Well, that was fun," Xellos commented. "I'm sorry you didn't get the money you wanted, Lina-san, demo that just means we can go back home and continue working off your debt there! I'm sure you'll feel better paying me off the honest way." 

"Lina…" Zelgadis said, noticing the miserable look on her face. _What is she going to do now_? he wondered. 

_No way… _Lina thought, dreading to have to go back to serve Xellos again. _ I was supposed to get the money after Zelgadis ran off with it! Then I could pay back Xellos and have plenty left over to pay Zel and to travel somewhere where I'd never have to see Xellos again! I can't go back to serving him--I can't!_

Xellos glanced at Lina who was slowly backing away from him. "Lina-san?" he said. "What are you doing?" 

"Go…gomen, Xellos…" Lina said, smiling as she continued walking backwards. "I've had enough." 

"Ee?" Xellos watched her in pure puzzlement. 

"I'll be seeing you!" Lina said, before taking off like a rocket. She disappeared from Xellos and Zelgadis's sight in a minute. Xellos stared with an "o" of surprise. 

Zelgadis shook his head. "I can't believe she just ran…" he said. "I feel embarrassed for her…" 

Xellos smirked and partially opened his eyes. "I guess we're going to play a game of Kakurenbo…" he mused to himself. 

Lina continued to run through the forest deciding to break when she was at least near the outskirts of Hadin. Figuring Xellos would have never expected her to run, she'd have a good while before Xellos would even start looking for her. Of course, Lina had done this without much preparation; she didn't even expect to run herself. It was definitely a spur of the moment decision. 

_Chikusho…_ she thought, panting as she ran. _ I wonder how long this game of Kakurenbo will last…_   
  
  
  
To be continued...   
  
  
  


Next Chapter coming after I get another chapter to my other two fics, but it will explain why Lina needed the money and what her plans are to stay away from Xellos... 


	3. The Beauty Contest

*Author's Notes: Thanks for the reviews again! I decided to put the Japanese translations right next to them for the words that are uncommon. Words like "hai," "iie," and "baka" are pretty well known, so I've left them as they are. I decided to put some of the characters from Slayers in my fic doing cameos. If you can guess who the one in this chapter is before I give the name, then I've done a good job describing that person! Anyway, I received a great suggestion that whatever the ending couple will be, I should make an alternate couple for the other. I think I'll do that--thanks alot for the idea! ^_^ Oh, and if anyone has an idea how Lina should try to get her money in the next chapter, let me know so I can consider it! Enjoy!   
  


**Chapter Three: The Beauty Contest**

  
  
  
  


A week had passed since Lina had ran away from her problems instead of taking them head on. Zelgadis didn't think she was a coward; she just recognized when she was beat and wasn't too embarrassed to run. Still, he thought it was quite humiliating to know the person who had suddenly ran away to escape a year of servitude. Then again, if Zelgadis had to serve Xellos, he would have either killed the man or ran like Lina. These facts, besides he had a slight concern for Lina (which he wouldn't openly admit) and wanted her to compensate her for the money she had promised, led him to search for Lina. He was aware Xellos was probably doing the same thing, having checked his house the day after Lina had disappeared to find the mansion empty. Had it been under different circumstances, Zelgadis wouldn't have thought Xellos had left Hadin. However, it made perfect sense now for him to take a short trip from Hadin. 

Zelgadis sighed and continued walking down the street of the third town he had traveled to. He thought he had a lead where Lina was, having heard rumors she was in a little city named Puchi. The population was a fourth of what Hadin's was and most cities for that matter. It wouldn't take him long to figure out whether or not Lina was there. Frankly, all he needed to do was check out all the restaurants; it was the middle of the afternoon, not too late or early for Lina to be eating or still eating. 

He entered a restaurant, scanning the area for anyone who looked remotely like Lina. At first, seeing no one resembling his "friend," he turned to leave the way he had came in. However, out the corner of his eyes, he viewed someone with a large stack of plates framing their face. Zelgadis stopped, turned back, and stepped further into the restaurant to get a better look. The woman or man possibly (it was hard for Zelgadis to tell what it was) attacked his or her plates of food like a starving animal. He or she only paused a moment to drink something. Zelgadis frowned as if that would allow him to see through the cloths that were wrapped around the person. Soon he grew tired of this approached the table, unnoticed by the person who was way too involved with their food to notice him. 

"Excuse me," Zelgadis said. He was able to tolerate a minute of silence, indicating he was being ignored before he spoke again. He cleared his throat. "I said _excuse me_." 

The person must have had a condition where one became deaf as they ate because he or she still ignored Zelgadis. He glared at he or she as long as he could before letting his temper flare. Zelgadis slammed his fist on the table, causing the stack of plates to vibrate and finally gripped the person's attention. 

"Could I have your attention, please!" he said, now able to see that the person's face was shadowed over by the hood he or she wore. "Anata wa…masaka (You are…can't be)…" 

The person pulled down their hood to reveal a woman with long, curly blonde hair. "I'm sorry, do I know you?" the woman said, smiling at him closed-eyed (not unlike Xellos at that). 

Zelgadis blinked and took a step from the table. "Ah…sumimasen (sorry)…" he said, blushing in embarrassment. "If you'll excuse me…" 

The woman watched Zelgadis nearly reach the door before she began to laugh loudly. "Baka!" she said, at a volume that reached Zelgadis's ears. She smiled as he stopped and looked back at her. "Heh, heh…" 

"What's so funny?" Zelgadis asked, putting a hand to his hip. 

"I could recognize your voice anywhere, but you can't recognize mine?" The woman shook a her head. "Zel, I would have thought better of you." 

Zelgadis's eyes grew wide. "Li--!" 

"Shh!" Lina motioned him over to the table and he sat with her. "I'm trying to keep a low profile." 

"So, when did you get this disguise?" Zelgadis asked, trying to forget she had fooled him like that. 

"A few days ago," Lina said, sighing. "Can you believe Xellos has contacts everywhere?? The last two cities I was in, people already knew that Xellos was looking for me!" She let out a breath again. "Anyway, Zel, how'd you find me?" 

"It took a while," Zelgadis said, "but I happen to be good at finding information when I want it, and I know I'd only need to look where food was sold." He smirked briefly at her laugh. "I suspect Xellos will be finding you sooner or later. What were you thinking?" 

Lina rubbed her head, nearly causing her wig to fall off. "Mou (Gosh)!" she said. "I couldn't take any longer. Do you know that guy had me washing his back?? How could I possibly stay at his house and do his bidding?? Joudan ja nai yo (You've got to be kidding)!" 

"You know, you wouldn't be in this situation if you never borrowed money from a snake like Xellos…" Zelgadis commented, resting his elbow and the table and resting his chin on his hand. 

"Wakatta yo (I understand)," Lina said, nearly pouting. "Demo, I had a choice between trusting Xellos or facing the wrath of my sister. That valuable egg of hers I broke… I was lucky that I could find one exactly like it…" 

"She really didn't notice it was missing for a few days?" 

"Are you insane??" Lina wiped her brow as if still relieved her sister hadn't noticed. "She kept it sitting in this cabinet which I carefully prevented her from opening until I had the replacement." 

Zelgadis nodded. "Jaa, dou suru (Well, what are you going to do)?" he asked. "You can't live the rest of your life running from Xellos. I'm surprised he hasn't found you by now." 

"Surprised?" Lina repeated, frowning. "I'm Lina Inverse! Being elusive is my specialty!" 

"I thought you didn't want to shout out your name." 

Lina blushed and put a hand over her mouth as if that would help now. Zelgadis grinned at her, and she coughed it off. Waving a hand, Lina proceeded to answer his question. 

"Anyway, I figured I could get the money to pay back Xellos before he finds me," Lina said. "I mean, that's the only way to get him off my back, and he thinks the only way for me to pay him back is to work with him. And we both know how I feel about _that_ idea." 

"Sou." Zelgadis sighed and rubbed his temples. "Why did I ever believe that you could pay _me_…?" 

"Oi!" Lina slammed the table with her hands, making Zelgadis have to quickly prevent the dishes from falling to the floor. "That plan I had was foolproof!" 

"But Xellos is no fool, apparently," Zelgadis muttered. 

"He must have known I was going to do it all along!" Lina said, rubbing her chin. "He's got people everywhere, so I'm not surprised if someone told him of my plan even if I was careful to make sure you were the only one that heard…" 

"Masaka," Zelgadis said. "He couldn't have known from the beginning. I assume he realized it as he had said: who would want to kidnap you?" 

Lina clenched a fist, debating whether to hit him or not. "When I was leaving his bathroom that one day he said that he would be worried if anything happened to me," she explained. "It was really strange, considering that nothing could have made him think of that. He just said it out of the blue! When I think of it now, it makes me think he knew what I was planning." 

"Well, that's in the past," Zelgadis said. "I assume you have a plan to pay Xellos back before he finds you?" 

"Uhn (Yeah), I have an idea that will get me an easy ten thousand gold pieces," Lina said. She paused for dramatic effect, smiling at Zelgadis's waiting face; then she pulled out a poster from her pocket and showed it to him. "Tada!" 

"Hmm?" Zelgadis leaned in a bit closer to examine the paper she had shown him. In large letters at the top it said, "Biinasu Beauty Contest--Winner Gets the Ten Thousand Gold Pieces Prize!" Zelgadis raised a brow and looked back at his smiling friend. 

"You're going to enter this?" 

"Bingo!" Lina rolled the poster back up and pocketed it again. "It'll be the easiest money I ever got." 

"Easy? How so?" Zelgadis muttered under his breath. 

"What did you say?" Lina asked, lowering her brows. 

"Nanimo nai." Zelgadis sweat-dropped. "What if you don't win?" 

Lina gave him a death-stare. "What are you trying to imply, Zel?" 

The sweat-drop grew larger. "If you're serious about this plan, you need to concern yourself with the other aspects of it." 

"Well…" Lina said, folding her arms over her chest, "if I don't win, I'll just think of something else to get Xellos's money, while in the mean time avoiding his grasp." 

Zelgadis let out a breath. "Somehow I can see your plan failing again…" he said. 

"No way!" Lina said, jumping up from her chair. "This time it's definitely going to succeed!" Lina tossed her long blonde hair. "After all, I'm obvious a born beauty." 

"Beauty? Doko (Where)?" Zelgadis murmured. 

"Nani?" 

"I said 'don't you think,'" he lied. 

"Think what?" 

"Don't you think your chances are reduced by your deficiency?" 

"My deficiency?" Lina repeated, still confused when he pointed straight at her. 

"Most beauty queens are tall women with nice chests, while you are--" 

Lina cut him off as she smacked him out of his chair, causing him to fly to the floor. "There's nothing deficient about my chest!!" Lina said, attracting stares from the other customers of the restaurant. She blinked at the stares and then sweat-dropped, covering her face with her hood again. 

Lina moved away from her table, stepping on Zelgadis's face as she went for the door. "Listen, Zel," she said, whether or not he was listening as he lied on the floor, "if you still want me to pay you back, I'll give you half of the five thousand gold pieces I don't need. You'll know where to find me." 

Zelgadis rubbed the shoe print that was most likely on his face. "Matte yo (Wait)!" He rushed onto his feet and went after her. It was amazing that despite the fact he was angry she had done that to him, a little while after following her, she managed to make him forget that ever happened (well, she forced their conversation into one that suggested she had forgotten about it already). Zelgadis wasn't sure if this was one of the advantages being Lina Inverse or merely a nuisance the woman had developed.   
  
  
  
****** 

Neither Lina nor Zelgadis was surprised at the large amount of contestants gathered at the Biinasu Beauty Contest. Zelgadis would have thought seeing all the other beautiful women would have discouraged his friend (still dawning her blonde wig), but Lina remained confident, grinning at each step she took. In a way he admired the way she could stay undaunted; she had the most confidence in herself than anyone else he knew. It wasn't as if Lina never recognized when she was beat (that was obvious when she ran off from Xellos), but it took a lot for her to reach that recognition. Despite her lousy chances, Zelgadis found himself smiling at the thought of her attempting to win the contest. He supposed it wasn't impossible for her to win. 

"Ne, Zel," Lina said as they made their way to the registration table. 

"Nani?" He was walking behind her, staring at her blonde head. 

"Well… you, see…" She began to scratch at her head. 

"What are you trying to say?" Zelgadis stopped as she stopped so that they were side-by-side. It was then that he noticed the light color on her face. 

Lina smiled at him and put her hand on his shoulder. "I just wanna say that it's kinda nice that you're here with me," she said. She laughed as he expressed surprise and drew back her hand from his shoulder to the back of her head. "It doesn't matter to me if you're just here to make sure you get your money." 

"Lina…" Zelgadis stared at her, noticing she was doing was of her common mannerisms: laughing feverishly when she was embarrassed. He smiled and folded his arms over his chest. "I'll admit, if I have to follow someone around for something I want, it might as well be you." 

Lina put her hands on her hips and grinned. "Ah, so _you're_ finally admitting you enjoy my company, ne?" she teased. 

"Hmph, let's not get carried away," Zelgadis said, closing his eyes, but not losing his smile. "At any rate, we spent a day traveling here and you still haven't told me what alias you're going to register under. You have thought of one, right?" 

"Mochiron (Of course)," Lina said, giving him a thumbs up. 

"Ii (Good), let's get you registered before we run out of time," Zelgadis said. 

"Uhn." 

Lina reached the registration table and easily filled out the required form. She handed it back to an official who looked it over for a minute or so. He nodded and gave Lina a number to wear on her shirt. Finally, he wrote her name on the master list of contestants. Zelgadis glanced at the name she had chosen and tried not to express his thoughts of her of lack of creativity. 

"All right, Ms. Anil, all we need is your registration fee," the man said. 

"Registration fee??" Lina and Zelgadis repeated. 

"It's been on all the posters," the man said, pointing to a poster next to him that was identical to the one Lina had. "We're collecting a thirty gold piece fee this year." 

"Nani yo??" Lina examined the poster and read the details more closely. She sweat-dropped as she noticed it wasn't hidden at all. "Oh…" 

"Do you ever read anything thoroughly?" Zelgadis asked. He let out a sigh. "The money you spent on breakfast this morning, is any of that left?" 

"Iie…" Lina said, rubbing the back of her head. "I thought I'd win this contest, so…" 

Zelgadis handed the amount to the official before Lina could say anymore. The man thanked Zelgadis while Lina gaped at him. Her friend folded his arms again. 

"If things keep going this way, the amount of money you owe me with exceed that which you owe Xellos," Zelgadis said. "And then _I'll_ be the one that owns you." 

Zelgadis nearly fell to the ground when Lina began shaking him by the neck, threatening to kill him if he ever did such a thing. "Jou…dan (A joke)! Jou…dan!" he sputtered as she shook him. 

"That's not funny!" Lina said, finally letting him loose. "It's a mystery why I didn't beat the hell out of Xellos from day one…" 

Zelgadis adjusted his collar. "Who'd want to own someone like you anyway…" he muttered. He sweat-dropped as Lina glared at him, and he looked away as if he hadn't said anything. 

"Anyway, thanks Zel," Lina said. She pinned her number, 24, on her shirt. "Now that I owe you a little more, that gives me a little more reason to win this!" 

"One can only hope," Zelgadis said. They were both distracted by some rather loud laughter. 

"Masaka, are they letting children enter this contest now?" the source of the laughter said. 

"Nani??" Lina glared for a second, losing face at the woman she witnessed. "Uh…" 

"You don't really think you can win," the woman said, tossing her raven hair. She started her absurd laughter again, placing her hand at the side of her mouth. 

_How annoying_, Lina thought, ignoring the woman's words. _She… Her breasts are million times larger than mine_!! 

Zelgadis stared at the strange woman, wondering which was worse: her laughter or the way her breasts stood out like two bowling balls taped to her chest. He put a hand to his face and muttered to himself that he had warned Lina about this. The look on Lina's face was disgust, but it was obvious that she were envious of the woman. 

"Dare da (Who are you)…" Lina asked, unable to distract herself from the woman's most noticeable feature. 

The woman took a step forward, causing her breasts to move in a manner that infuriated Lina more than the fact they were there. "You'll know my name soon enough," she said. She turned to leave. "With people like you in the contest, my victory's a sure thing!" Her laughter ensued at her retreat. 

"Onore (Why you)!" Lina began fuming, raising her fists and moving around like a mad person. Zelgadis took a step back for precaution. 

_You'd think she get used to people being larger than her in that area_… Zelgadis thought, not daring to mutter that aloud. 

"Zel!" Lina said, suddenly turning on him. 

"Na…nan da yo (What is it)?" He wondered if she were going to take her frustrations out on him. 

Lina held a shaking fist by her side. "I going to win this contest no matter what!" she said, a new determination in her voice. "I'll show that bimbo that she doesn't even come close to beating _me_ in a beauty contest!!" 

"Haven't you forgotten the real reason you entered this contest?" he asked. He lowered his eyelids as she began storming off toward the stage ahead. "Xellos is obviously the last thing on her mind right now…"   
  
  
  
****** 

Zelgadis, now sitting in the third row of the audience seats, wondered if Lina had everything she needed. On the way to Biinasu, Lina had went to a few shops to buy the proper attire for the event (which made Zelgadis wonder where she acquired the money) so that she was prepared for the different stages of the contest. Zelgadis had waited outside these shops until she was finished, having no problem doing so considering the situation. He stared at the stage, curtain still drawn, wondering if Lina would succeed or if she would just make an ass out of herself. Remembering her encounter with the woman a little while ago, he put his money (which was getting slim ever since he involved himself in Lina's business with Xellos) on the latter. 

"Ladies and gentlemen!" a round man said, coming from behind the curtains. "Welcome to the Seventh Annual Biinasu Beauty Contest!" 

As the crowd began to cheer, Zelgadis noticed that the majority of people in the audience were men. He sweat-dropped and tried to ignore all their comments and whistling. This was relatively difficult as he had men from all sides shouting things. 

"Let's see the women already!" someone ahead shouted. "Bring out the babes!" 

"This better be a good show," a man behind said to someone else. "I paid good money to see this." 

"There was no fee to watch this contest…" Zelgadis said under his breath. _ I'm surrounded by not just vulgar people, but idiots as well_… he thought. _I have the worst luck when I'm around Lina_… 

"…without further delay--let's meet our lovely contestants!" the announcer said, gesturing toward the curtain. "Contest Number One, Ms. Sarah!" 

Zelgadis yawned as the man introduced the woman in order of their number. If he didn't think that Lina was going to have problems winning, he would have found a quiet place to nap until the whole contest was over. However, at the moment, he didn't have much confidence in his friend. 

"…Contest Number Thirteen, Ms. Naga!" The raven-haired woman came out from behind the curtain and stood in line with the other contests that had already been named. She laughed insanely loud at the increased cheers and lewd remarks about herself. 

"Wow! What's the point in continuing the contest?" some man exclaimed. "She's gotta be the one that wins!" 

"Oh, boy…" Zelgadis said, anticipating when Lina would be called. _I can imagine what will happen when she makes her entrance_… 

"…Contestant Number Twenty-Four, Ms. Anil!" Lina stepped out proudly onto the stage, swinging her blonde hair about her shoulders. She winked to the audience and stood in line with the other twenty-three girls. 

Lina received about half cheers and half banter. Compared to the other contestants, she was shorter, less stacked, and seemed less refined. Lina's stance was like that of when she was about to fight, unlike the other women who stood as if they were attendants in a court. Zelgadis couldn't ignore the fact that Lina stood horribly out from the other contestants. 

"What in the world is this?" someone said in the audience. "Get that gaki (brat) outta here!!" 

"Where's your mommy little girl??" Several others laughed with this man at his scorn. 

Lina frowned a little on a the stage, but stood boldly nonetheless. It didn't matter what the jerks in the audience said; her goal was to make the judges, whom she had yet to see, think that she was worthy enough of the title of Beauty Queen. Lina had always believed the first step into making something reality was having faith in what you wanted. 

_Zama miro_ (Kiss my ass), she thought, able to slip her façade back into a smile after the twenty-fifth contestant had been called. _I'm going to win this contest and no one's going to deter me to think otherwise_. 

Naga turned her head back, so she could glance at Lina in the line behind her. She grinned and narrowed her blue eyes at Lina, looking as if she would suddenly release another explosive cackle from her throat. Lina raised a brow, but didn't break her smile. They continued to stare at each other until the fiftieth contestant had been called. 

"I hope Lina doesn't do anything stupid…" Zelgadis said, having noticed the stare-down that had taken place between her and Naga. 

"Now our beautiful contestants will change into their swimsuits as we reveal our special judges!" the announcer said. The fifty contestants disappeared behind the stage again. "Let's have another round of applause for these beautiful women!" 

A cold chill passed over Zelgadis as the announcer went over how the rest of the contest would go and how the women would be judged. He rubbed his shoulders and narrowed his eyes. It was a warm day; why was he experiencing such a feeling? 

"…judge is the star of the popular play that tours in major cities every other year--Mr. Amos Winters!" the announcer said, the curtain drawing back just enough so that only the judge he spoke of was shown. 

_It must have to with the lack of confidence I have in Lina_, Zelgadis thought as the announcer went on to introduce the other two judges. _ Obviously that cold chill has to do with something she's going to do later on in this contest_… 

"And our final judge, but not by far the least known--" 

_I can just see her doing something to that Naga person_, he continued to think,_ or sabotaging the other contestants_-- 

"Xellos Metallium, the Mysterious Millionaire!" 

Zelgadis nearly fell forward. "Xe-Xe-Xellos??" he stammered. He gawked, bugled-eyed at the back of the stage where Xellos was happily sitting at the judges' table. The purple-haired man waved to the audience as if he were on a float or something of that nature. 

Zelgadis bared his teeth and unconsciously reached for the hilt of his sword (a habit he had picked up after discovering first-hand that Xellos, too, was skilled with a sword). A bead of sweat trickled down the side of his head. Was it coincidence that Xellos had shown up? Before Zelgadis would have thought so, thinking that there was no way he could have known that Lina planned to enter this contest, but after the talk he had with Lina he felt differently. Xellos has seen through Zelgadis's disguise; surely he would see through Lina's disguise. Her friend might have thought the chances of that were more slim if Lina were wearing a more elaborate disguise. Then again, it did fool him…though he didn't exactly know why… 

_Lina_… he thought, eyes glued to the stage as if he expected a battle to break loose at any moment. _ I hope that you manage to fool Xellos like you fooled me… Otherwise, you're going straight back to Hadin_… 

"Our contestants should be ready by now, so let's get on with the swimsuit part of our contest!" The audience enthusiastically complied. "All right, we'll have contestants number one through five first!" 

Zelgadis swallowed and carefully watched Xellos for any clue that his being there was premeditated. Xellos acted no differently from the other judges; he observed the women dawning their revealing apparel and wrote down notes like the others. Xellos was smiling the whole time, but this wasn't unusual because the man usually was smiling the majority of the time. 

"The next five, please!" the announcer went on as the first five were applauded off the stage. 

"Kuso (Shit)," Zelgadis said, observing where the women stood as they were being judged. "When Lina enters she won't notice Xellos, but as she turns to stand where the judges can view her, she'll realize he's here…if she doesn't already know." 

Lina was quite unaware Xellos was closer to her trail than she had thought when she finally appeared on the stage again. She was much too distracted by the new two-piece swimsuit she had bought. It was a tiny blue outfit that revealed her "perfect" shape, while the top enhanced the size of her chest. She smiled, making model-like poses that seemed to impress everyone (even the ones that had mocked her from before). Lina knew that it wasn't enough to just look good; you had to let everyone know that you had faith in your looks. This gave Lina much finesse to her image, which made her shine over the other "beauties" in the contest. The other four who had been called out with her were so disturbed by her sense of self-satisfaction, that they seemed to loose their confidence. All but one tripped on the stage, and the one that didn't began to shake noticeably as she tried to maintain an alluring posture. Lina eagerly turned her near bare back to the audience as she faced the judges with one of her most dazzling smiles. Everything seemed to be going well. She had approving grins from the first judge, the second, the third, and the fourth… 

Lina felt sweat dotting at her temple. _Xellos_!! she thought, her smile becoming twitchy as she stared at his grinning face. _Shimatta (Damn)! What the hell is he doing here?? Masaka, he figured out another of my plans_?? 

"Let's give these ladies a round of applause!" the announcer said, giving the contestants the okay to leave the stage. 

Lina tried her best to be casual about leaving, feeling Xellos's eyes on her the whole time. It made her blood run cold and her feet heavy like two boulders attached to her legs. Backstage she drew in deep breathes and frowned in deep concentration. Xellos was a judge, but would that really ruin her plans? If he realized it was her, he could easily make sure she didn't win and would have to go back to Hadin with him to become his servant again. Then again, Xellos could not recognize her and not discriminate against her, allowing her a chance to win. Once she won the contest, Lina could pay Xellos back in the same day and be done with him forever. Lina put a hand to her head, wiping away some of the sweat. Surely the last scenario would happen. 

"Either way, I won't let Xellos get me…" Lina promised. 

"Hmph, you think you were pretty good out there, huh, Anil?" a familiar voice said. 

Lina turned to see Naga approaching her, boobs bouncing as she went. Lina felt sick, but forced herself to remain composed. This wasn't the time to go to pieces, not when Xellos was about. 

"Omae (You)…" Lina said. 

"Sou, _watashi_ (Right, me)," Naga said, looking down at Lina with a smirk. "Don't get overconfident because you managed to find a little swimsuit that was halfway decent. There's still the evening gown segment, the talent show, and the question round. Your victory isn't sealed yet." 

"Neither is yours," Lina said, eyes raised to meet Naga's gaze. Lina smiled and put her hands on her hips. "Demo, I wonder how long those balloons on your chest will stay inflated. By the time we get to the talent show, I'm sure they'll be flatter than your face." 

"My face??" Naga's blushing wasn't only because of the suggestion she had flat face, but that her breasts were phony. However, she soon got over her anger and made an almost regular-volumed laugh (Lina guessed because if she laughed as she always did, she would distract those on the stage and have points taken off). "Sou ka (I see), _you_ tried to use balloons to increase your bust size, but they're already deflated." 

A vein poked out the side of Lina's head. "At least I don't look like a cheap whore," she spat. 

"At least I look my age," Naga swiftly retorted. She narrowed her eyes at Lina. "Unless you really are thirteen--" 

"Onore!!" Lina began advancing toward her as if she were going to choke the other woman. 

"Oi, you two!" a female official whispered further back stage. "We want those who are done with the swimsuit competition to get ready for the evening gown segment!" 

"Hai!" Lina and Naga said. The two exchanged glances. 

"You're lucky," Lina said, walking toward the dressing rooms, "under different circumstances, I would have already gotten you back for what you've said." 

"_You're_ just lucky I'm too much of a lady to hit even an uncouth little girl such as yourself!" Naga said. 

Lina shook with anger, but eventually forced herself to ignore what she had said and her annoying chuckle. _I almost want to beat that smug bitch more than I want to be able to pay back Xellos_… Lina thought. Then she thought of going back to Hadin with Xellos as if she were some kind of prisoner. _Almost_…   
  
  
  
******* 

"Does it even matter now if Lina does well or not?" Zelgadis asked himself. His eyes hadn't moved from Xellos. Xellos seemed to look out into the audience and Zelgadis ducked down in his seat unconsciously. Beads of sweat formed at his forehead. _Chotto matte_ (Wait a minute), Zelgadis thought._ If Xellos sees me, he might realize that Lina can't be far…if he doesn't already know Lina is "Ms. Anil…_" 

"Now, Ms. Anil will display her evening gown!" the announcer said. Cheers and whistles followed. 

Zelgadis poked his head up, seeing that Xellos's eyes were now targeted somewhere else. He sat straight again and decided to see what Lina had selected for an evening gown. His jaw lowered, and he leaned in closer as if his vision was impaired. Lina's evening wasn't too shabby; in fact, it was a little fancier than some of the other contestants' gowns. He wasn't sure if it was the elaboration of her apparel or if it were merely the fact that it was truly rare to see Lina Inverse in a dress (or anything similar to that), but Zelgadis was stunned. Lina made a graceful turn in her peach-blossom gown, causing the flecks of gold glitter to shimmer in the sunlight. Apparently she was wearing very tall shoes because she looked as if she had grown about a foot since she was last seen. Lina had even put a matching flower up in her blonde hair and a large gold pendant rested on her bosom which too had the appearance of growth since Lina's last appearance. Zelgadis couldn't believe she could afford anything that nice nor could he believe that was really Lina. He had never thought Lina was ugly, but he had never thought she was beauty queen material either. Once again, Lina had changed his mind completely. 

"Suge (Wow)…" Zelgadis said, not even realizing he had said the words until a moment later. He blinked and shook his head so that he was thinking clearly. _What am I doing?_ he thought, prying his eyes from Lina and locking them back on Xellos. _ I have to keep my eyes on Xellos… Hmm, even he looks surprised at Lina which could easily mean that he recognizes her_… 

"Thank you, Ms. Anil!" the announcer said as Lina went behind the curtain again. "Ms. Anil was wearing a one-of-a-kind gown from Gilliam's Gowns--located in the heart of Hifuku! Let's hear again for Ms. Anil!" 

Zelgadis's view was impaired for a while when many of the men around him stood and gave Lina loud applause and cheers. They remained like that until the announcer finally called out the next contestant. Once they were all seated again he was able to see Xellos's pleased face, accompanied by the "sinister" grin Zelgadis had heard Lina talk so much about. That look concerned him, but for some reason his thoughts were of the advertisement deal Lina had somehow gotten. 

_Naru hodo_ (I see), he thought. _ Lina must have been loaned or received the gown at a reduced price in exchange for advertising Gilliam's Gowns. Shikashi (But) when did she go to Hifuku? The distance from there and Puchi is about three days on foot and Puchi from Hadin is about the same distance… Okashii na (It's strange)_… 

The moment of truth came when the announcer claimed that the judges would now eliminate thirty women from the competition and after that ten more would be eliminated after the talent show. Zelgadis put his hand over his fist, anticipating the decisions of the judges and wondering how strong Xellos's vote was. It seemed he enjoyed Lina's presentation, but of course if voting against Lina could get him Lina once again, Zelgadis knew he'd do it. However, it seemed Lina had a chance because Xellos wasn't the only judge that had liked Lina's little show. Zelgadis drew in a breath and waited for the judges to finish their little discussion. 

One of the judges raised his hand and the announcer nodded. "The judges have decided which lucky ladies will advance to the second half of our competition!" the announcer said. He went over to their table and took the list they had complied. "Contestant Number Eighteen!" 

A red-head quickly ran out onto the stage and waved her hands in excitement. Most of the women called did the same, one of the exceptions being Naga who looked as if her advancement was imminent. As the eighteenth advancing contestant was called, Zelgadis began to think that Lina wasn't going to make it to the next round. That could mean several things: Xellos figured out Lina's plan, Zelgadis wasn't going to get his money (a wasted trip with Lina), and Lina would be forced back to Hadin. None of those things were appealing, and the last seemed the least pleasant. Not that he cared too much that Lina had dug her own grave, but he didn't like to see Xellos having power over another person like that. The man had more money than most; why did he need to control people's lives as well? 

"…and finally…" 

"Come on, let it be Lina…" Zelgadis said, narrowing his eyes. 

"…Contestant Number…" The announcer looked at the list for a long time as if being unable to make out what the last name was. "Twenty-four!" A round of applause followed before the announcer could invoke the audience to even do so. 

Zelgadis let out a breath and eyed Lina for a moment, smugly smiling to Naga before he glanced at Xellos. The sinister grin was still fixed on his face which did nothing for Zelgadis's confidence that all was to go well now. His concentration on Xellos made him nearly miss that there would be a thirty minute wait before the talent show would begin, as some of the women needed more preparation than when they had to change into gowns. Zelgadis didn't think that getting into such formal ware could take less time than for one to get ready to perform. He assumed most women would be singing. Zelgadis raised a brow, wondering what Lina would do for the talent show. Her talents were (from off the top of his head) eating, fighting, and getting into trouble. None of those would help her stay in the beauty contest, so he wondered what exactly her display of talent would be. His thoughts were distracted as he saw the judges get up from their table and disappear behind the stage. Zelgadis's eyes widened and he stood up as if he planned to go backstage to prevent a possible meeting between Lina and Xellos. However, he knew he had little chance of getting back there, and he had the possibility of revealing Lina's true identity if Xellos actually didn't have a clue Anil was her. He sighed and sat back down. 

"Ah, Kami-sama (God)," Zelgadis said, shutting his eyes to calm himself.   
  
  
  
****** 

Lina finished changing into her black outfit and left the dressing room to join some of the other contestants at the refreshment table that had been set up. It was meager to say the least, containing water, bread, fruit, and a couple of vegetables. Lina hadn't eaten but two hours ago, but was already getting hungry. Her stomach growled loudly and a few women looked at her. She laughed, waving her hands and grabbed an apple from a bowl. She took a quick bite, swallowed, and let out a sigh. She only needed to pass the talent show and the question round before she could relieve herself of the debt she owed Xellos. Then Lina could be free again, as she had always been--traveling from place to place, having adventures along the way. Even though, she had to admit, ever since she found out she was Xellos's servant, an adventure had generated. Not the kind of adventure Lina particularly enjoyed, but an adventure nonetheless. 

"Ms. Anil?" 

Lina didn't face the person addressing her immediately. She recognized the irritating voice--oh, how she recognized it. She felt as well the grin burning into her back and the unpleasant aura the man conjured up whenever she was around him. Lina drew in a breath and prepared to do her best performance. 

"Hai?" Lina distorted her voice enough that it at least sounded generally unlike her own. The big, stupid smile on her face was also a nice touch; it was very uncharacteristic of herself. 

Xellos matched her smile and scratched her head. "They usually don't like the judges to talk to the contestants before the question round, but I couldn't resist," he said, sounding as if he was embarrassed. It took much of Lina's strength not to express disgust. "I haven't seen many women that are as stunning as you are. I especially enjoyed your evening gown." 

"Oh, sou desu ka (Is that right)?" Lina said, putting a hand to her cheek as if it were red. "I'm so glad that you think so." 

Xellos's eyes opened a little, causing Lina to become less comfortable. "Where are you from?" he asked, his mouth permanently smiling. "On your registration sheet you wrote it quite illegibly." 

"Oh, did I?" Lina's eyes began to shoot from side to side, searching for something that would distract their conversation. "I must have been so excited I couldn't write very well." 

"Sou ka." Xellos took a step closer to her, and Lina had little room to back up with the table behind her. "Doushita no (What's wrong)? You seem tense." 

"Ano…" Lina was starting to feel like running off like before. _ Does he have to get so close_? she wondered. _Maybe he knows it's me and is trying to make me sweat… But why would Xellos allow me to go the next round? Unless he wants to eliminate me at the end… Mou!! I can't stand him_! 

Lina nearly jumped as Xellos put a hand on her forehead. She was sure he could feel the sweat upon her brow, but he appeared to be testing her for a fever. Lina turned red, somehow feeling timid at the feeling of his touch. Despite her knowledge of him being a deceptive snake, his hand on her forehead had been gentle and almost soothing if Lina had thought it was a different person. She fought back a scowl at her thoughts. Xellos always made her feel confused, a trait that did not suit Lina Inverse. 

"Hmm, you don't seem to have a temperature," Xellos said. His mouth twitched as if he were holding back a laugh. 

"I just might need to finish eating this apple," Lina said, barely managing a concealing voice. 

"Well, don't end up getting sick before this is all over," Xellos said, holding up a hand in a wave. He began walking off. "I'd like to see if you make it to the end of the contest!" 

Lina watched him go, falling back against the table. "Aitsu (That guy)…" she said. She paused to take another bite of her apple. "What the hell was the point of _that_ conversation?"   
  
  
  
****** 

"Thank you, Ms. Michelle," the announcer said. "Wasn't that a great act, folks?" He was met with a hearty agreement. "All right, next Ms. Naga will entertain us with…" 

_I wonder if Xellos talked to Lina_, Zelgadis thought, not noticing any changes in Xellos's manner. _ He looks the same, but maybe when Lina does her act, I'll have a better clue to the answer_. 

Naga wasn't one of the originals; she was the fourth one to do a song. However, the audience seemed to focus more on her appearance than her voice which was so loud that Zelgadis had to cover his ears. Her voice wasn't too bad, but her ostentatious movements were distracting, at least in Zelgadis's case. He patiently waited for her to finish her song and cringed at the audience's begging for an encore. Thankfully, she didn't sing another song. Now it was only a few more contestants until Lina appeared again. Zelgadis didn't believe her performance would be much better than Naga's, but only time would tell him. 

An hour later it was Lina's turn. "Now Ms. Anil will amaze us with her magic abilities!" the announcer said. 

"Nani?" Zelgadis said, raising a brow. "Magic abilities?" 

Lina came out onto the stage, clad in a magician's outfit, complete with a top hat. She rolled in a table and few other things and took a bow. The crowd cheered her and she took off her hat. Casually, she pulled a kitten out of her hat. That wasn't as impressive as when she threw a cloth over the kitten and it turned into a full grown cat. Finally she placed a box over the cat, tapped it with her wand a few times, and the cat disappeared. A few gasped and applause supplemented the audience's amaze. Lina bowed again and prepared for the next tricks. 

"What the hell?" Zelgadis said, seeing Lina display a talent he had never witnessed. "Since when could she do all that?" 

"Now for my final act," Lina said, after puzzling the crowd with an array of magical illusions. "I will saw a person in half." 

Naga, who had been peeping from back stage, frowned at all the regard she was receiving from her act. "Saw a person in half?" she spat. "Bakana (Stupid)! It's all merely an illusion!" 

"Ms. Naga, would you be so kind as to be my volunteer?" Lina said, extending her hand to where Naga's head was protruding. 

"Ee?" Naga blinked and pointed to herself and Lina nodded. She frowned and stepped calmly onto the stage next to Lina. 

Lina grinned and pointed to the box that seemed to be made especially for Naga. "If you'd please get inside that box," she instructed. 

"Certainly," Naga said, grinning too. "I'd love to show the audience how fake all this magic business is!" 

"Sou ka," Lina said lowly as Naga got into the box. "Yoshi! This is a very simple magic procedure, so don't miss anything!" Lina locked the two sections of the box and picked up saw. 

Naga sweat-dropped, seeing the light reflecting off its shiny metal. "Is that…real?" she asked. 

"Mochiron!" Lina said, carefully touching its jagged edge. "I'm going for realism!" 

"Ch-ch-chotto (Hold it)!!" 

"Here we go!" Lina began sawing the box in half, chuckling at Naga's frightened murmurs. In a minute she successfully sawed through. 

Lina pulled the two halves of Naga apart so the audience could see. The people were extremely impressed and Lina took a bow again. Naga narrowed her eyes and balled up her fists. 

"Come on!" Naga cried over the applause. "This is just a mirror trick or something!" 

"Move your legs," Lina provoked. 

"All right I will." Naga couldn't feel anything when her legs moved, but could see her feet moving from the separated box. "Na…nani??" 

"Amazing!" someone shouted. "She really sawed her in half!" 

"Masaka!" Naga said, panicking. As much as she tried, she could feel her bottom half. "Anil! Put me back together right now!" 

"I thought you said this was just a mirror trick," Lina said, putting her hands behind her back. 

"I take it back--just do it!!" 

"Hai!" Lina said, snickering. She locked the two halves together and waved her wand above them. "Join together!" 

Naga relaxed as she felt her legs again and Lina released her from the box. The blonde sneered at Naga who blushed profusely at her actions. Lina gave a victory sign to the audience and she was rewarded with more applause, cheering, and whistling. 

"Arigatou gozaimasu!" Lina said, bowing once again. 

"Truly spellbinding!" the announcer said. "Let's hear it for Ms. Anil and Ms. Naga for her assistance." 

"I'll get you for this, Anil," Naga promised from the side of her mouth. 

"Baka," Lina said, blowing kisses to the appreciative people. 

Zelgadis laughed to himself and put a hand to his chin. "Lina, you do credit to the rumors of your resourcefulness," he said, admiring the extent of her capabilities.   
  
  
  
******* 

Lina easily made it to the final round, along with Naga who didn't seem to think that Lina had any more chance of winning than when she had started. Zelgadis was less tense at this stage than he had been at the beginning, thinking it would be stupid for Lina to lose at this point. She had managed to outshine most of them, and Xellos didn't seem to know it was her. Had he known, it would have been easy for him to get her during the half hour before the talent show. Then again, perhaps Xellos wanted her to win the money so she could finally pay him back. Zelgadis smirked at that thought. There was no way Xellos would pass the opportunity to own Lina. Somehow he sensed that Xellos wanted her badly for some reason…a reason Zelgadis was curious to know. Surely it had to do with some underhanded scheme of his, which Zelgadis assumed accounted for all the money he made. Xellos an honest working man? That was a real stretch. 

"Ms. Naga," the announcer said, reading her question from the envelope, "What do you believe is the greatest problem that the world faces today?" 

Lina smirked as Naga hesitated to answer and at the same time was relieved she herself hadn't gotten the question. Lina never concerned herself too much with everyone's problems; she had too many of her own. Had she been asked that question, she had slipped and said the greatest problem for the world was that Xellos existed in it. Not only would that not get her any points, but it would also reveal she was Lina Inverse. She was sure she wasn't the only one who felt that way about Xellos, but she was sure that she was the only one who would say that, besides Zelgadis. 

"Hunger," Naga finally replied. She put her hands on her hips, totally satisfied with her response. "There's barely a city you can go to where someone isn't starving. Malnutrition leads to underdeveloped people who become unsuitable workers. Therefore, these people cannot get sufficient jobs to feed their families and continue the cycle of hunger that spreads wider each day. I think if everyone had enough to eat, the world would be better off." 

Lina raised a brow at Naga's response and how well it went over with the audience. The judges also seemed impressed. _ Hmph_, Lina thought, putting her hands behind her head, _I could have thought of that_… 

"Now, Ms. Anil, you will answer a question," the announcer said, taking another envelope. He opened it and pulled out the paper with the question. "What is the most important thing to you and why?" 

"O…" Lina forced her mouth to close. _Kuso…_she thought. _I almost said "okane (money)." I would have never won had I said that… Hmm, now what's something that I can say that sounds good_? 

Lina took a long time to think and the announcer reminded her that she didn't have much time. Zelgadis frowned; he knew money was the most important thing to her. She would fight someone for it, go on a long journey to obtain it, and do almost any deed (even a few illegal things) to have it at her disposal. His frown turned into a smirk at the thought of her love of money. It would be interesting to see what Lina would claim was most important to her. 

"Er…" Lina said, looking around as if something would give her answer. She glanced at Zelgadis for a moment and smiled. _Yoshi…_ she thought. 

"Your answer, Ms. Anil?" 

Lina smiled proudly. "The thing most important to me is my best friend," she said, purposely not saying his name. "I'll admit that we often have our differences, and I tend to take advantage of his good nature, but the truth is…he's there for me when no one else is. If I have a problem, I can always go to him for help no matter what it is. Because of him, I feel indestructible, as if our friendship can prevent me from any downfall. I don't know what I'd do without him; he's like a part of my family--like a part of me. There's no question why I value him in my life above anything else in the world." 

Zelgadis covered his face with his hands, a deep red spreading over his face. "What is she thinking saying that??" he said. "I don't think anyone could buy that bunch of--" 

Lina's response had received silence and Naga jeered at her from Lina's right. Lina kept her composure and drew in a breath. Maybe she didn't give people enough credit; most people could recognize phonies a minute away. Still, she had thought she was convincing… 

"Absolutely wonderful," Xellos said, the first to applaud Lina. "What a moving reply." 

The audience's clapping joined in soon with Xellos, and Lina blinked in surprise. Naga was the most surprised, having thought that Lina's speech wasn't fake and had hoped the audience knew that. This infuriated her and she glared at Lina who gave another victory sign. 

"Now our judges will decide which one of these ladies will be our winner!" the announcer said after the final contestant had had her chance in the question round. 

The judges murmured among themselves and took a while to make their decision. Lina and the others remained on the stage while the announcer went on to recap some of the contestants crowning moments. The audience would applaud in acknowledgment of what they had liked about the finalists. Lina glanced at Xellos from time to time, narrowing her eyes at the shifty man. Though she thought she had a good chance of winning, anything involving Xellos was a sure thing for disaster (as Lina had learned with her fake-kidnapping attempt). 

"We, the judges have a decision," Amos said, standing up. 

Lina swallowed and attentively listened to the man as did the other contestants. Naga softly (for once) laughed next to Lina and meet eyes with her. Lina tried to stop imagining herself poking a pin into Naga's breasts and deflating them. 

"Get ready to lose, Anil," she said. 

"Keep dreaming, Naga," Lina said. 

"We decided that Ms. Naga will be--" 

"Ha ha! I won!" Naga cried. Lina's mouth dropped open a little. 

"--the runner up of the Biinasu Beauty Contest!" Amos finished. 

"Na…nani??" Naga said, her jaw dropping. Lina let out a short laugh in relief and ridicule. 

"It is an anonymous vote that we name Ms. Anil that Seventh Annual Biinasu Beauty Queen!" 

"Yatta (I did it)!" Lina began dancing around, making it difficult for the announcer to put the crown on her head. 

"Yatta ze (You did it), Lina!" Zelgadis smiled after letting out the breath he had been holding. "She managed to pull it off!" 

"Now you will receive your ten thousand gold pieces prize!" the announcer said. 

"Yoshi! Lay it on me!" Lina said. She grinned smugly at Naga. "Zan'nen da (Too bad)." 

"Grr! This contest was fixed!" Naga said, storming off to backstage. Lina was left alone on the stage as she received her prize. 

"Here you go," the announcer said. 

Lina held out her hand, expecting a bag of gold coins, to feel an envelope on her palm. "Huh?" she looked down at it. "Na…nani kore (What is this)??" 

"It's a statement that proves you, Ms. Anil will have ten thousand gold pieces donated in your name at the local charity," the announcer said, smiling happily. "Congratulations!" 

"Joudan ja nai yo!!" Lina grabbed the man by the collar and gave him a deadly look. "What do you mean a _donation_?? The poster said I would get the ten thousand gold pieces prize!!" 

"Yes…the ten thousand gold pieces prize is a donation…" the announcer said, sweat-dropping. "Everyone knows that the Beauty Queen always donates her prize money to the charity… But the real reward is the title, right?" 

"No!!" Lina said, lifting him off the ground a little. "I want my money!!" 

"Ara, ara (Ah, ah)," Xellos said, suddenly from behind the judges' table. "A Beauty Queen shouldn't act like this." 

Lina swallowed upon seeing him and let go of the announcer. "Well, I think I'll go home and celebrate my donation then…" she said, making tracks to leave. 

Xellos easily caught her arm before she could go far. "Where do you think you're going?" he asked. 

"Ee? Nani?" Lina said, sweat-dropping. 

"Nice try, Lina-san, but you failed getting my money back and eluding me," Xellos said, his voice lowering. He made a short laugh as she looked surprised. "Your hair and manner may have been slightly different, but I can recognize your beautiful eyes anywhere." 

"Chi…Chikusho!" Lina said, grimacing. 

"Saa (Come on), let's get going," Xellos said. 

"Uh…" the announcer said, confused by what was happening. The audience too was perplexed, except Zelgadis, of course. 

"Kuso!" Zelgadis said, getting up from his seat. "I have to help Lina somehow!" 

"Shikashi, Xellos," Lina said, wishing she could shake his strong grip from her arm, "don't you think there's a better way for me to pay you back? I mean, this plan almost worked, ne?" 

"Sou desu," Xellos agreed, smiling. "Demo, the fact remains it didn't work, so I'm afraid you're going to have to come back with me." His grin returned. "I have plans for you, Lina Inverse." 

_Oh, Kami-sama, help me! _Lina silently pleaded as she began to be pulled away by Xellos. _Not a servant to Xellos again_!! 

"Hmph, you're not going anywhere." 

Lina glanced down below the front of the stage where Zelgadis had a chair raised above his head. Xellos looked at him with an almost frown (something Lina had rarely seen if ever) and Zelgadis drew closer. A few people stared at him, but he paid no attention. 

"Now see here…" the announcer said, wondering why the contest was ending so hectically. 

Xellos's frown-like expression went back to his grin. "What, are you going to throw a chair at me?" he mocked. He laughed pleasantly, but of course neither Lina nor Zelgadis heard it that way. 

"Iie," Zelgadis said. He made a cry as he threw the chair at Lina. 

"Zel!! Nani shitten da ka (What are you doing)??" Lina covered herself with her free arm. 

Xellos did actually frown as let go of Lina's arm so that he could stand in front of her, protecting her from the flying chair and at the same time shield himself with both arms. The chair hit solidly, causing him to be pushed back upon Lina a little. Her mouth rounded in surprise as Xellos bent down a little from the attack and grunted in pain. 

"Zelgadis isn't as weak as I thought…" he murmured to himself. 

"Xellos…" Lina said, drawing a hand to help him. 

"Lina! Ima (Now)!" Zelgadis called to her. 

Lina blinked, realizing what Zelgadis's purpose was for throwing the chair and quickly jumped down from the stage to join him. The two ran off, ignoring the protests that some people shouted after them. Xellos stood straight again and a deep grin pervaded on his face. 

"Yattekuru ja nai ka (Not bad), Zelgadis-san," Xellos said. He rubbed his sore arms and looked in the direction he and Lina had went. "You were smart to assume I'd protect Lina like that. Demo, I won't let you get in my way…"   
  
  
  
To be continued...   
  
  
  
Don't have a clue what the chapter will be like, so no preview this time, gomen! ^_^ 


	4. The First Meeting

*Author's Notes: Yeah, sorry for anyone who thought Lina's talent was cheesy. The only reason I didn't make her sing (because, yes, I do like Megumi's singing) was because that's common. I mean, isn't that what most people do in talent shows? So I made Lina do something different. Oh, I hope there's not confusion when the flashback ends (the flashback is after the first break and ends after the second to last one) or why I didn't name Zelgadis's friend until the end... I guess, I just didn't think it was important. Well, enjoy, review, and please suggest future chapters! Arigatou gozaimasu! ^_^   
  
  
  


**Chapter Four: The First Meeting**

  
  


The events that had occurred a few days ago kept playing over in Lina's head. Since she and Zelgadis had successfully ran away from Xellos, they had talked little of the matter. They had concentrated on finding a new method of obtaining money which was the reason they were in the city they were. However, Lina found herself distracted quite often from the thought of escaping Xellos and more about Xellos himself. At the time, she didn't have time to express much surprise that Xellos had put himself in the way of danger (however how little) to protect her. Lina didn't think Xellos hated her, but she always thought his main interest was to torment her and use her for his own personal gain. Even if he wanted her unharmed for his own benefit, Lina couldn't see him getting himself harmed in the process. Lina had the impression that Xellos's number one rule was that Xellos came first. Obviously these thoughts plagued her because she hadn't touched much on her plate. She and Zelgadis had been doing a great deal of traveling via foot, so he was quite absorbed in his eating (and had developed the habit of eating whatever he could before Lina snatched it away). Of course, when he noticed that there was plenty of food for him, he began to realize Lina wasn't eating. She was just staring out into space as if something really bothered her. 

Zelgadis set down his fork and wiped his mouth a few times. "Lina, doushita no (what's wrong)?" he asked. 

"Ee?" Lina met eyes with him and noticed the concern in his eyes. She shifted her eyes back on the distance. "I've just been thinking…" 

"About?" 

"Xellos." 

"Mochiron." Zelgadis picked up his mug and took a drink from it. 

"No, I been thinking about how Xellos stood in front of that chair for me," Lina said, meeting his gaze again. "How did you know that he was going to do that?" 

Zelgadis set down his mug. "Well, to tell you the truth, I didn't really know," he said. 

"Na-nani??" Lina slammed her hands down on the table. "That could have hit me, you know!" 

"Wakatta, wakatta," Zelgadis said, waving his hands. "I guess, in a way I was testing a theory I've had about Xellos ever since we first met him." 

"Theory?" Lina calmed a little in curiosity. 

"I think that Xellos's interest in you isn't entirely sinister," Zelgadis said. When Lina simply frowned in confusion he continued with his explanation. "Xellos may…he may…" 

Lina leaned forward, since Zelgadis lost eye contact with her. "Nan da (What is it)?" 

"I think that he actually…likes you…" 

First Lina stared at him incredulously, and then she began to laugh uncontrollably. She rocked back in her chair and held onto the edge of the table for support. Zelgadis folded his arms over his chest and patiently waited for her to finish. 

"Are you done yet?" Zelgadis asked when her laughter became light chuckles. 

Lina drew in a breath and nodded. "Is there more?" she said, smiling. 

"I'm not saying this to amuse you," Zelgadis said with a slight edge to his tone. "I wouldn't say something like that unless I was serious." 

"Well, what makes you think _that_?" Lina finally made a serious face. 

"Surely you don't forget the first time we met Xellos," Zelgadis said, hand clenching a little at the thought. 

"Masaka." Lina's head lifted as she looked up at the ceiling as if the whole night was being played back up there…   
  
  
  


Zelgadis and Lina kept themselves toward the back of the room, where there was the least amount of people gathered. Even though the room was large enough to be the size of the foundation of an average-sized house, the number present was great enough to be the population a small city. Yes, with that number, it was hard to see everyone at once and surely the host of the affair, Rezo. Rezo was the reason the two were at the "party." Zelgadis, aware of the way his uncle operated, knew that this whole event was nothing more than a cover-up for what his true intentions were. With any luck, he and Lina would be able to put a stop to it before the night was over. If not, well… 

"So what does Rezo have that we have to get back?" Lina wondered. She sipped from a glass, doing her best to remain inconspicuous. A few people had already recognized her, and Rezo had known Lina almost as long as Zelgadis had. 

"A friend of mine owns some property in Hadin," Zelgadis explained. "I don't know how Rezo did it, but somehow he got his hands on the deed of the property. Now Rezo intends to sell the deed to someone who is going to make my friend poor as well as homeless." 

Lina raised a brow and set her glass down on a nearby table. "I'm surprised you'd go to all this trouble to interfere with your uncle's business just to help someone," she said. She tapped her finger on her chin. "Unless this friend was paying you…" 

"Iie." Zelgadis's eyes were locked upon Rezo across the room, center of attention. "This friend saved my life. It's the least I can do for him." 

"Sou ka," Lina said, smiling. She punched him in the arm. "So, you do have a soft spot after all." She laughed as he snorted. "So, I guess then you'd go great lengths for me since we've been friends for almost forever, ne?" 

Zelgadis glanced at her as if asking her if she were out of her mind. "Joudan ja nai ka (You're kidding, right)?" he muttered while she laughed. "I doubt you understand what the word 'friend' means." 

"Come on, Zel," Lina said, her smile steady. "If we weren't friends, you wouldn't have asked me to help you with this important task." 

Zelgadis put his eyes back upon his relative. "It's just that you're the only one I know who would help me with something like this," he said, "and can fight decently, if need be." 

Lina sweat-dropped. "I think we need to work on our relationship…" 

"At any rate, we need to watch Rezo to see if he talks to anyone unusual," Zelgadis said. 

"U…uhn," Lina agreed. She looked around at the all people. "Demo, the guy he's supposed to make the transaction with could already be here." 

"Most likely." 

"So why don't we split up for a while?" 

Zelgadis put a hand to his chin. "I suppose that's a good idea," he said. "Shikashi, don't forget to keep your eyes on Rezo from time to time." 

"Hai!" Lina said, saluting him. 

"I hope you realize the severity of this…" Zelgadis said, a small bead of sweat at the side of his head. 

Lina nodded and began making tracks for the right side of the room. Zelgadis let out a breath and muttered something about Lina showing her characteristic levity. Regardless, he began moving on the left side of the room, glancing at the guests and then back upon Rezo regularly. 

Lina put her hands behind her head as her eyes roamed around the numerous people. "Mou!" she said, already tired of looking. "Why couldn't Rezo do his business in an empty alley or something??" She sighed and stopped at a table to lean against it. 

Lina raised a brow as something aroused one of her senses--smell. She could smell delicious food somewhere nearby. "Hmm?" She whipped her head behind her and noticed she was leaning against one of the food tables. 

"Go…Gohan (Dinner)!" Lina stammered, witnessing several of her favorite foods. For a second she was tempted to pig out like she was prone to do, then she shook her head. _Dame (I can't),_ she thought. _Zel is counting on me… Demo! Meshi (food)… So much!!_

"Ah, no reason to do this on an empty stomach!" Lina decided, grabbing a plate a piling a few (in Lina's definition) on it. She began wolfing it down quickly, only take very quick pauses to glance at a few people (none of which were Rezo). In three minutes she had finished her "light snack." 

Lina patted her stomach and turned her back to the table. "Okay, back to business!" she said. She put her hands on her hips and scanned the area. "Let's see now…" 

"My, your appetite is just as good as the rumors say," a voice said beside her. 

"Hmm?" Lina viewed a man with purple hair standing to her right, holding a staff in his hand. "A…anata wa…?" 

The man simply stepped closer, nearly in Lina's face. Her lips drooped and beads of sweat dotted at her forehead. It was eerie how his eyes were shut (not uncommon to Rezo which had always bothered Lina) and how the smile on his face didn't quite fit him for some reason. Lina couldn't quite put her finger on it, but she knew the guy wasn't right. She'd amount it to bad vibes or woman's intuition. 

"Na…nan da?" Lina said. _Why is he so close?_ she wondered. 

"Iie, betsu ni (no, nothing)," the man said. He finally backed up. "I'm just a little surprised." 

"Surprised?" Lina didn't even feel a bit more at ease with him at more of a distance. The man still hadn't introduced himself, and he was talking to her as if they had met each other before. 

"I've heard that you were like a monster or something." Despite the man rubbing the back of his head as if he were being modest, Lina felt heat in her cheeks. 

"Monster??" Lina clenched her fists. "Who exactly is your source??" 

The man's mouth dropped a little as if he intended to speak, but was at a lose for words. Lina stared at him, expecting him to say something, but he didn't as if he was trying to think. Her temper rose just slightly, but not enough for her to start fuming. 

"Well?" 

"Sore wa… sore wa…" 

"Sore wa??" 

The man held up a finger and opened his left eye, revealing it to match the color of his hair. "Sore wa himitsu desu." 

Lina fell forward on her face. The man looked down at her and reached out as if he intended to help her. "Daijoubu desu ka (Are you all right)?" he asked. 

_What's with this guy?_ she asked herself. Lina laughed into the floor and stood up. The man watched her with wonder as she dusted herself off and smoothed her hair back. 

"My, Lina Inverse," the man said, smiling again, "you're so intriguing." 

Lina pointed a finger at him as if accusing him. "Just who are you anyway?" she demanded. "How do you know me?" 

"Well, who hasn't heard of the famous Lina Inverse?" the man said, extending his arms as if to say her fame was wide. 

Lina crossed her arms over her chest. "All right, but just who _are_ you?" 

"Ah, sumimasen," the man said, making a polite bow. The expression on his face as he straightened suggested that he wasn't as sorry as he tried to make his voice seem. "How rude of me not to introduce myself. I guess I was just so awed to actually meet you I forgot to give you my name. I'm Xellos Metallium, the Mysterious Millionaire." 

"Xellos Metallium??" Lina's mouth was wide enough to fit everyone in the room. "Masaka!!" 

"Ah, you know of me?" Xellos said, pretending to be humble again. "I'm so honored." 

Lina swallowed and narrowed her eyes at him. Xellos, ka (huh)? she thought. What in the world would he be doing here? I never knew Rezo knew Xellos, and I've heard that Xellos is as elusive as they come… 

"So, what are you doing here?" Lina asked. 

"Rezo-san invited me, mochiron," Xellos said. He pointed the tip of his staff at the other people in the room. "Isn't that way everyone else is here?" 

Lina frowned. "I guess that's true…" She nearly jumped as he stepped toward her again. 

"Lina-san, I don't mean to sound forward, but would you like to have a drink with me?" Xellos suggested. 

Lina's inner self was screaming for her to say no and get as far away from Xellos as possible, but his smile upon her seem to glue her feet to the floor. All she could manage was some mumbled words which she had no idea were. Her mouth was simply moving and sound was coming out while she heard herself mentally crying out to escape. 

"Onegai shimasu (Please)," Xellos said, grasping her hand with his free one. 

Lina wondered if she was slightly blue in the face or if it was just her imagination. _I doubt this can be helped…_ she thought. _He has to be a real persistent guy to say "onegai shimasu…"_ "S…sure…" she conceded. 

"Hontou?" Xellos said, grinning. "Ii desu!" 

"This would be a great moment for Zelgadis to distract me…" she muttered low enough that Xellos couldn't hear.   
  
  
  


"Where did Lina go?" Zelgadis said, "swimming" through the sea of people. He had picked up some useful information from some of the guests' gossip and wanted to share it with Lina. "Chikusho, where could she have gone?" 

Zelgadis saw Rezo from the corner of his eye and slipped behind a group of taller people. His uncle passed by without notice of him and Zelgadis moved from his hiding place. It was easier for him to proceed with his plan while Rezo had no clue he was at the party. The attendants at the door had let him in, believing Rezo had expected him, but obviously no one had informed Rezo that he had actually entered the mansion. It had been a year, at least, since Zelgadis had been in contact with his uncle (the two had a great deal of differences). 

"If I keep looking around for Lina like this, I'm bound to run into Rezo before I'm ready to," he said, looking at his uncle's retreating back. "Rezo may be blind, but he's better at sensing people near him than anyone with sight I know…"   
  
  
  


The second thing Lina learned about Xellos (the first being that he was extremely aggravating) was that alcohol was necessary when having to deal with him for an extended amount of time (more than a minute). Lina was on her third glass of wine, and she had only spent ten minutes with the guy. He asked too many questions and answered too little himself. However, Lina was a bit more at ease under the influence. 

"…wouldn't you agree, Lina-san?" Xellos said. His smile never failed. 

"Maa na (I guess)," Lina said. She finished the remains of her glass. "So, exactly how much money do you have?" 

Xellos shrugged, his smile mutilating into a smirk. "It's hard to tell," he said. "There's just so much of it." 

Lina ignored his smirk and made one of her own. "If only I had money like that," she said. "I would buy everything I wanted." 

She didn't take any mind that she was beginning to giggle at the thought and was drooling from imagining filling the bathtub in her castle with money. Xellos didn't seem to mind either and in fact, seemed to enjoy Lina expressing her love of money. His fixation upon her (as well as Lina's absorption with her financial fantasies) allowed Zelgadis to walk up to them unnoticed. He tapped his friend on the shoulder, making her jump and form a huge sweat-drop on the side of her head. Xellos stared, a light frown in his features, at Zelgadis. 

"Nani shitten da ka?" he asked. 

"Uh…" Lina said. She laughed and pointed at Xellos. "Guess who he is." 

"Who cares?" Zelgadis said. "Remember why we're here." 

"Demo, he's Xellos Metallium. You know, the millionaire!" 

"Nani?" Zelgadis met eyes with Xellos, just missing the annoyed expression on his face. 

"Hajimemashite (Nice to meet you)," Xellos said, making his short bow. "I was beginning to think that Rezo-san's nephew was merely a rumor." 

Zelgadis narrowed his eyes. "How did you know I was Rezo's nephew?" 

"It's obvious," Xellos laughed. "You look a great deal like him." 

"Hmph." Zelgadis turned to leave. "Iko (Let's go), Lina." 

"Hai…" Lina gave Xellos a sheepish smile and shrugged to him as she left. "Gomen!" 

Xellos stared after them as they left, the thin frown returning. However, it soon disappeared and was replaced with his usual smile. He, too, turned and headed in the opposite direction. 

Lina stepped back a little as Zelgadis suddenly stopped walking and faced her. "Lina, what do you think you were doing??" he demanded. "I thought you were taking this seriously! My friend could become homeless before tonight is over!" 

"Gomen, gomen," Lina said, waving her hands furiously. "It's not like I asked the guy to have a drink with me, but he was really insistent." 

"Well, while you were having fun I actually learned something useful." 

"Nani sore (What's that)?" 

"Apparently at midnight the trade is going to happen." 

"Hmm? How'd you find that out?" 

"I heard some women saying that at the time Rezo is going to speak to a 'special guest' in some private room at that time." 

Lina put a hand to her chin. "Hmm… demo, you don't have any idea who that guest might be?" 

"Iie," Zelgadis said. He ran his fingers through the part of his hair that covered the right side of his face. "For all I know, it could be anyone here…" 

"Hontou da," Lina sighed. _If only we knew who Rezo was meeting with,_ she thought. _Zel, is right, though. If I hadn't been wasting all that time, as short as it was, with Xellos then I might have…_

This time Zelgadis was startled when Lina suddenly grabbed him by the shoulders and proclaimed she had it. "Got what??" he said. 

"Xellos!" 

Zelgadis sweat-dropped because she wasn't making much sense and speaking loudly. "What about him?" 

Lina leaned close to his face, smiling widely. "He's the one that Rezo's going to meet with," she said much lower than when she had began speaking. 

"Ee??" 

Lina held up a finger. "It's makes perfect sense," she said, "but it didn't come to me until now. Xellos can certainty pay Rezo well for that deed, and Xellos lives in Hadin as does your friend. Also, after spending that short amount of time with Xellos, he's about as suspicious as they come." 

"Naru hodo (I see)," Zelgadis said. "It _has_ to be Xellos!" 

"Ee?" Lina had turned back to where he had been. "He's gone…" 

"Nani?" Zelgadis looked in the same direction. "We have to keep an eye on him!" 

"What about Rezo?" 

"Right. You keep tabs on Rezo and I'll keep an eye on Xellos." 

Lina blinked. "Eto… don't you think it would be better if _I_ kept an eye on Xellos?" she asked, smiling. 

Zelgadis lowered his eyelids. "Iie," he said. "You'd probably end up having a drink with him again." He went off to look for Xellos before she could get in another word. 

"Mou!" Lina said, putting her hands on her hips. _Why do I have to look after Rezo…_ she thought. _He gives me the creeps, and he's never liked me… Oh, well, I guess that just means I'll have to do a superior job of being undetected._   
  
  
  


"Creepy, creepy, creepy…" Lina muttered, ducked behind a plant as she kept her eyes on Rezo. Zelgadis's uncle had always unnerved her, especially during the years that Zelgadis lived with Rezo. Lina would always suggest they'd do something that took advantage of Rezo's blindness, but it always blew up in their faces (not that Zelgadis didn't tell her it would beforehand). Rezo was too sharp to be blind; Lina had always suspected his lack of vision was merely an act. She wouldn't be surprised if he really could see and would open his eyes at any moment. Lina let out a sigh and wondered how long they had to act like this. 

The grandfather clock near Lina began to chime, almost making Lina scream out loud. It toned twelve times, revealing what the time was. Lina blinked and looked back at Rezo (whom she had been only glancing at from time to time) to find he was gone. She cursed and began running around in search for him. 

_Kuso!_ Lina thought, whipping her head around in all directions. _Zel's gonna kill me! How could I let Rezo slip away at a time like this??_

Lina, after surveying the room for about five minutes, decided to check some of the adjacent doors to the room. After entering one near the back of the room, she found herself in smaller room with a single door at the end. One foot into the room, she was ambushed by some unknown attacker. Lina struggled and was brought down to the floor with a hand covering her mouth. She was giving her assaulter a difficult time keeping her down. 

"Lina, calm down!" 

Lina settled and focused on her attacker. "Mel?" Lina said, her voice muffled by his hand. He nodded and released her. "What's--" 

"Rezo and Xellos went into that room ahead," Zelgadis said. "Shikashi, I was waiting for you to come in before I did anything. What took you so long?" 

"Uh… I was waiting until I was sure Rezo and Xellos were settled in the room before I came in…" Lina said. She laughed when Zelgadis gave her a look that suggested he didn't quite believe her. 

"Anyway, I'm thinking we should just bust into the room," Zelgadis said. 

"Nani?" Lina's brows lowered. "Won't that cause a lot of noise? What if people get suspicious and come in here to investigate?" 

"We'll lock the door and barricade it with the couch. We should have the deed way before any of them manage to knock down the door." 

"We're using the window to escape?" 

"Mochiron." 

Lina smiled and smacked him on the back. "Just like when we were younger, ne?" 

"Except we won't be expecting Rezo to be waiting for us out there like he always was," Zelgadis said dryly, despite the sweat-drop on the side of his head. 

"Oh, yeah…" Lina remembered that fact and made a face. "Creepy…" 

"Yoshi, let's do this." Zelgadis got to his feet and went toward the door. 

"U-Uhn!" Lina stood and locked the door. Zelgadis began pushing the couch toward the door and Lina soon helped him. When they finished with that task, they stood in front of the door where Rezo and Xellos were surely making their trade. 

"Daijoubu da?" 

"Mochiron." Lina smirked and clenched her fists. "This is nothing for Lina Inverse." 

"Sou. On the count of three: one…two…three!" 

At "three" the two of them kicked down the door, allowing them access into the room. Inside they viewed Rezo and Xellos having tea at a small table; neither of them turned as the door fell down. Lina was more disturbed by this than Zelgadis who kept his cool. 

"Oya (Oh), Lina-san, Zelgadis-san," Xellos said, setting down his teacup on the china saucer. He seemed to be staring straight at Rezo. "What an unexpected surprise." 

"Zelgadis, it's been a long time," Rezo said, he too not looking in their direction. "Lina, you too." 

Lina, with Rezo addressing her, couldn't help let out a short uncomfortable laugh. Rezo seemed even creepier with Xellos present. Zelgadis glared at the two of them, prepared for whatever was necessary to get what he wanted. 

"Hmph, don't think this is some kind of reunion or something, Rezo," Zelgadis said, stepping in front of his nervous friend. "You can consider this a business call." 

"Sou desu ka?" Rezo finally faced Zelgadis with the tiny grin of his. Lina let out a breath behind Zelgadis, wondering if it were a good idea to help out Zelgadis after all. "So, that must mean you've finally decided to take your role as my heir and consider a future wife." 

Zelgadis smirked and closed his eyes in amusement. Lina was amazed that Rezo was still trying to get Zelgadis betrothed to one of those well-to-do women Rezo had picked out. Rezo was pretty well-to-do himself, and he wanted to ensure that Zelgadis would not only be his heir, but an heir that married a rich wife. Zelgadis, ever since he was about ten, had solved this problem in the same way (besides refusing to have anything to do with Rezo no matter how poor he became). Lina smiled in anticipation, now used to his usual response. 

"I've told you a thousand times, Rezo," Zelgadis said, opening his eyes. "I'm refusing your inheritance so that I can marry Lina." 

Xellos, who had been quietly listening to the whole conversation with a smile, now turned in Zelgadis's direction with a shocked expression. "Na…nani?" he said. 

Rezo chuckled. "Yes, you have been saying that for a long time," he agreed. "Yet, I fail to see you make any progress on that goal." 

"Lina and I want to wait until we both get wandering around adventurously out of our systems," Zelgadis said, grinning. He looked back at Lina. "Ne, Lina?" 

"Sou, sou," Lina said, nodding her head. It was funny that she could take that so easily now; when she had first heard him use that excuse, she nearly died. 

Zelgadis faced his uncle again, noticing from the corner of his eye that Xellos had an unpleased expression on his face. "Hmm?" Zelgadis looked in his direction, but the expression was gone when he met eyes (or rather closed eyes) with Xellos. 

"Well, if that's not the case," Rezo said, distracting Zelgadis from Xellos. "What exactly do you want, dear nephew? As you can see, Xellos-san and I are having a meeting." 

"That's precisely why I'm here," Zelgadis said. He held out his hand. "Hand over the deed, Rezo." 

"Deed?" Rezo held up his hands. "What deed?" 

"Fuzakeru na (Quit fooling around)!" Zelgadis put his hand above the hilt of his sword. "I'm not leaving here until I get that deed back!" 

"Hmm…" Xellos said, digging underneath his shirt. "Might this be the deed?" He pulled out a document. 

"That's it!" Zelgadis made a step toward him and Xellos put it back underneath his shirt. 

"Ah, zan'nen da. I just purchased this piece of land for myself." 

"Onore!!" 

"That deed was lost fair and square in a card game," Rezo came in. "The winner of that deed in turn sold the deed to me. I'm sure you can figure out the rest." 

"Grr!" Zelgadis grasped the hilt of his sword. 

"Matte, Zel," Lina said, putting a hand on his shoulder. She smiled when he calmed slightly. "I can pretty much guess how this all happened." 

"Sou desu ka?" Rezo said, amused. He had heard the Lina Inverse was good at deducing, but in all the years he had known her, he had yet to see much of her abilities. 

Lina held out a hand. "Xellos, you wanted that land that Zelgadis's friend owned, but he wouldn't sell it to you," she said. "To solve your problem you offered a large sum to Rezo if he could acquire the deed for you. Rezo got some of his men to trick Zelgadis's friend into a crooked card game where Zel's friend felt it was necessary to bid the deed to his property. Of course, he lost, Rezo paid off the men who did his dirty work, and gave the deed to Xellos to collect his money. I think that sums it up, ne?" 

Rezo snorted, still smiling. "Pretty good, Lina," he said. 

Xellos clapped. "Subarashii (Wonderful)!" he said. "Lina-san, you are amazing!" 

"Lina…" Zelgadis was dumbfounded. "How did you figure all that out?" 

"Wasn't too hard," Lina said. She shrugged. "I've always known that Rezo was a shady character, and I've heard that Xellos is the same. It's no surprise these two did something like this." 

"Naru hodo," Zelgadis said. 

"Well, now that you know what went on, what do you plan to do with that information?" Rezo asked. He folded his hand, setting them on the table in front of him. 

"Well, an honest person might try to take this up in court," Lina said, tossing her hair. "Try to get the guy you had arrange that farce of a card game to confess what he did. Demo, that would take too much time, and it would be hard to find one of Rezo's men. I'm pretty sure you cover up your tracks nicely." Rezo merely laughed. "So, I'd say we're going to have to take it by force." 

"Interesting," Rezo said, grinning. 

"Ara, ara, violence isn't the answer," Xellos said, wagging a finger at her. "That can only lead to someone getting hurt." 

"Yes, you," Zelgadis agreed. He unsheathed his sword. "Prepare yourself, Xellos." 

Xellos calmly picked up his teacup again. "Rezo-san, I thank you for your cooperation," he said. "I hope that we can do business again." 

"Any time," Rezo said, nodding. 

Xellos took a sip of his tea and set the cup down again. "I can handle things from here, Rezo-san." 

Rezo nodded again and rose to leave. Lina moved to stop him but Zelgadis called her back. She blinked at him, wondering why. 

"He's no use to us anymore," Zelgadis said, eyes locked on Xellos. "We just need the deed from Xellos, and we're out of here." 

Lina let out a breath. "Rezo doesn't even bother to help Xellos once he has his money…" she muttered. "Great business…" 

"Ah, don't worry about me, Lina-san," Xellos said, standing up. He smiled at her as he took his staff in his hand again. "Shikashi, I do appreciate your concern." 

"Ee?" Rouge spread over her face. "I-Iie, I was just--" 

"Ah, you're blushing. Kawaii desu ne (That's cute)." 

Zelgadis began to shake in annoyance, a sweat-drop by his ear.

"This isn't a joke!" he snapped. He pointed the tip of his blade near Xellos's neck, ignoring the bashful manner that Lina behaved. "You'll get hurt if you don't hand that deed over to me!" 

"Hmm…" Xellos said, putting a finger to his chin. "Iie, I can't do that. I have a great need for this property, so I must I have it." 

"Naruba (In that case)…" Zelgadis drew back his sword and prepared to slash Xellos. 

"Ch-Chotto, Zel!" Lina said. "Don't you think it's a bit unfair to attack someone without any means of defense??" She had thought they'd just scare Xellos (maybe beat him unconscious), but she didn't think they'd have to cut him. 

"This is someone's life here, Lina!" Zelgadis swung his sword. 

"Hoh?" Xellos casually raised one arm to block the incoming blade with his staff. He used little strength to keep Zelgadis from advancing forward. "I think Lina-san has a point. It isn't very fair to attack an unarmed person like this." 

"Grr!" Zelgadis felt his feet slide back on the floor even when he resorted to use the strength of both his hands. _Bakana (Impossible)!_ he thought. _How can he be this strong and with only that wooden staff??_

Zelgadis jumped back, ending the futile pushing game the two had developed and held his blade sideways in front of his chest. Xellos simply set the end of his staff back on the floor. He smiled at Zelgadis and tilted his head to the side. 

"Nani? Was that all?" he asked. "I don't mean to be rude, Zelgadis-san, but that wasn't very effective." 

"I'll show you!" Zelgadis took two steps toward him, but was pulled back by his shoulders. 

"Yamete (Stop), Zel!" Lina said, struggling to keep him back. "He's only trying to goad you!" 

"It's working!" Zelgadis continued to pull away from Lina. 

"Ara, ara," Xellos said, shaking his head. "I guess, there's only one way to solve this." He grasped the middle of his staff with his other hand and twisted something. 

"Nani?" Zelgadis said as he saw the bottom part of his staff come off. Xellos revealed the slender blade that was hidden within and dropped the wooden part onto the floor. 

"Ah, this should make things more evenhanded," Xellos said, making a stance with his staff's blade. "Let's try this again." 

In surprise Lina had loosened her grip on Zelgadis and he managed to pull away. "Fine with me," he said, preparing himself for a sword fight. 

"Zel…" Lina let out another breath and massaged her forehead. _I never thought it would come to this…_ she thought. _If these two are just going to duel, what's the point of me being here? To look pretty? Well…I do look pretty, but..._

Lina was distracted by her girlish giggles for a moment before she concentrated on Zelgadis and Xellos again. She hadn't ever heard that Xellos was experienced with a sword, but she knew for a fact that Zelgadis was. He was a great swordsman and had began practicing his skills at a young age. In a way, Lina was more concerned about Xellos than Zelgadis. She couldn't imagine one of the rich-types actually being able to have much experience with sword fighting outside fencing. 

"You can make the first move, if you'd like, Zelgadis-san," Xellos said politely. He chuckled softly as Zelgadis barred his teeth. 

"I was going to go easy on you, but--" Zelgadis cut himself off as he took up Xellos up on his offer. Obviously Zelgadis had been taking into consideration that Xellos had been unarmed because the younger man's movements were much more quicker this time. However, Zelgadis didn't seem to be making much progress; Xellos was easily defending himself against all of Zelgadis's attacks. Lina began to frown as Xellos's skill began to annoy Zelgadis and make his movements sloppier. She had already seen himself make three moves that could have easily allowed Xellos to significantly strike him. Lina wondered what Xellos was exactly waiting for. 

"Ah, this is no good," Xellos said as his blade matched perfectly with Zelgadis's once again. Zelgadis came at him again, and the same action was repeated. "You keep trying the same thing, and it's not working. Maybe you should try something else." 

"Yakamashii (Shut up)!" Zelgadis was truly angry; it had been a good while since he had faced anyone that gave him a problem with a sword. He was determined to get that "pleasant" smile off Xellos's face for good. 

"Tsk, tsk," Xellos said as Zelgadis charged at him once again. Xellos grinned malevolently. "I guess I'll have to teach you a lesson then…" 

A shiver ran up Lina's spine. _What a sinister grin!_ she thought just before Xellos dodged Zelgadis's blade with incredible speed and slashed him in the arm just before he moved behind Zelgadis. "Zel!" 

Zelgadis grunted, but refused to let go of his sword to tend to his other arm. "Onore…" he said, slowly facing Xellos again. 

"Zel!" Lina took a step toward him. 

"Shinpai shinai de (don't worry), Lina," Zelgadis said, preventing her from taking any more steps. "This is nothing. I've had worse." 

Lina watched a trail of blood form just below his shoulder down to his wrist. "You can't fight like that!" she protested. Her friend ignored him, his eyes locked on Xellos; Lina began to fume. "Oi! Don't ignore me!" 

Xellos chuckled and tilted his head at Zelgadis. "Oya, that lesson wasn't good enough?" he said. He pointed to Zelgadis's right arm with the tip of his blade. "Let's try the other arm, then." 

"I won't let that happen again!" Zelgadis said, readying himself again. _Gotta keep my cool,_ he coached himself. _This guy is an expert at making people angry and knows how to use it to his advantage._

"Chotto!" Lina stood in between them, glaring at both. 

"Lina, get out of the way!" Zelgadis demanded. 

"Urasai (Shut up)!" Lina snapped. Zelgadis couldn't explain it but he relented and lowered his sword. "I won't have the two of you ignoring me any longer!" 

"Ee?" Xellos's face was back to its affable standard. "What are you planning, Lina-san?" 

"I'm going to kick your butt and take the deed myself!" Lina said. She rolled up her sleeves. "This sword-fighting business is going no where fast." 

"Lina, what makes you think you can beat him??" Zelgadis said, trying to raise his left arm. He cringed as he did and slowly lowered it back down. 

"Sou desu, Lina-san," Xellos said, twirling around his staff. "Do you want to end like Zelgadis-san or worse?" His lips twitched as if he were fighting off his "sinister" grin. 

"Hmph," Lina said, balling up his fists. "Are you telling me that you'd attack me while I'm unarmed? I thought you said that was unfair." 

Xellos laughed and dropped the staff at his side. "So I did," he said. His raised his arms in preparation to defend himself. "Well, if you're serious about this, let's begin." 

"Lina, don't--" 

"Zel, I think I know what I'm doing here," Lina said. She turned back and winked at him. "That's why you brought me along, ne?" 

Zelgadis stared at her for a minute before, making a grave face and nodding. Lina smiled and turned her attention back upon Xellos. In truth she was a bit nervous fighting someone who obviously was more skilled with a sword that Zelgadis. Of course, Lina was always the type that tried things out before she gave up completely. 

"Any chance you go easier on women?" Lina asked as she began to circle Xellos. 

Xellos laughed louder this time. "I think it would be foolish to hold back when going against Lina Inverse, known for her excellent fighting skills," he said. He didn't seemed at all fazed by the smile on her face that had remained after she had glanced at Zelgadis. "To tell you the truth, I'm a bit excited to fight you." 

Lina sweat-dropped. _I don't know if I should be flattered or nervous about him being "excited,"_ she thought. Seeing Xellos's creepy smile began to make her more nervous. 

Zelgadis carefully watched them as they fought, noticing that once again Xellos started off defending himself. Lina was attacking pretty well, and Zelgadis believed she could easily hurt him if he let down his guard. However, Zelgadis was more interested in the movement of Lina's feet. Xellos was standing his ground firmly, his feet only stepped a foot or so from where he had previously stood. Hopefully, he had interpreted Lina correctly. 

Lina just missed hitting Xellos in the face, her fist brushing against his hair as he moved back. She grinned at him and he did the same. Xellos tried to trip her up, but Lina was expecting it and jumped out of the way. 

"What's this, Lina-san?" Xellos said. "You're holding back--doushita no?" 

"Heh, why would I be holding back?" Lina said. As she was swinging more punches at him she pretended to slip, slide, and knock into his staff laying on the floor. The staff moved out near the center of the room. As Lina had predicted, Xellos had completely forgotten his fight with Zelgadis and was now concentrated on her. 

_Ima,_ Zelgadis thought, begin to charge toward Xellos. He guessed he was doing as Lina had planned because she rolled out of the way in the middle of her fighting. 

Xellos's eyes opened slightly as he realized what was going on. However, he barely had time to evade the attack and only managed to not get hit in the chest. Zelgadis's blade nicked him in his side and Xellos fell down to the floor. When he tried to get back to his feet he was met by Zelgadis's blade above him. 

"Don't even think about getting up," Zelgadis said, seeming as though he'd strike Xellos whether or not he tried to get to his feet. 

Lina ran her hands through her hair. "Boy, I wasn't sure if you'd understand what I was trying to do," she said. She grinned at him. "Not a bad plan, ne?" 

"Maa na (I guess)," Zelgadis said. "It would have been better if I had done more damage to Xellos." 

Xellos chuckled and settled himself against the floor. "I guess I see why Lina Inverse has such a reputation…" he said as though speaking to himself. "I can't believe I made a mistake like that." 

"Gomen, Xellos," Lina said, stepping up to him. "I didn't want to attack you unarmed, but it seemed like if you and Zelgadis fought blade to blade, it was going to get a little too bloody." 

The millionaire laughed again. "Lina-san, I don't know what to say," he said. "Your kindness is just boundless." 

Lina rubbed the back of her head. "You really think so?" she said, laughing sheepishly. 

"Sou, sou." Xellos nodded. "I'm pretty sure you could have beaten me up already." 

"Enough of this!" Zelgadis said when Lina began to blush. "Lina, let's get the deed and get the hell out of here!" 

"Right away," Lina said, coming to her senses. She approached Xellos and carefully went to retrieve the deed underneath his shirt. She hesitated a little, not desiring to feel upon a stranger so closely, but she had no choice. Lina just ignored her humility and pulled the document out. "Got it!" 

Xellos, unlike Lina had figured he would be, looked very pleased with himself. Zelgadis didn't seem to care and bid Lina go on ahead without him so she could get a head start. Lina went off, and Zelgadis waited a minute before following her out. Xellos laid on the floor for a minute or two after they left. 

"Maybe I should have put that somewhere else…" Xellos mused to himself, grinning from ear to ear. _That was the most enjoyable experience I've had in a long while…_   
  
  
  


Lina grinned at Zelgadis as he finally caught up with her. "Not bad, huh?" she said, used to having conversation while running. 

"All that matters was the job got done," Zelgadis said. "Rezo-me (rudder way to say someone's name)…" 

"Doushita? Weren't satisfied with seeing him again?" 

Zelgadis ignored her little joke and elaborated on what he meant. "It kind of sickens me that Rezo just left Xellos there by himself." 

"Yeah, maybe," Lina said, lowering her brows, "demo, it wasn't as if Xellos asked for or more importantly needed Rezo's help. And…" 

"And?" 

"If Xellos had been serious about fighting us, he might have given up a real problem." 

"Nani?" Zelgadis nearly stopped running, but did no such thing since Lina kept the same pace. 

"Yeah, I was holding back on Xellos, but he was doing the same," Lina said, frowning in remembrance. "I'm pretty sure that if he had allowed himself to get completely serious, he wouldn't have just damaged your arm." She saw him frown from the corner of her eye. "So, how is your arm?" 

"Nothing to worry about," Zelgadis said. He paused to growled. "Kuso! I would have never thought Xellos would be able to fight well! What a troublesome guy…" 

"Aa, but at least we'll never have see him again," Lina said. They had finally made it to the forest outside of Rezo's estate and slowed their pace. "We managed to get away with the deed with little difficulty." 

"Demo, what if--" Zelgadis was cut off by the throbbing of his arm. He placed his hand over the wound and winced at the pain. 

"Zelgadis," Lina said, walking over to him. She shook her head and tore a strip of cloth from her cloak. "There's no use pretending that your wound is nothing." 

"Sorry for that," Zelgadis said as she made a makeshift bandage over his wound. 

Lina shook her head again. "Ii wa (it's fine)," she said. "Now what were you saying before?" 

"I was saying suppose Xellos comes after us," Zelgadis said. He bent down and wiped his bloody hand on the grass. "That's something that bothered me. After I left him he didn't seem to try to follow us. Shouldn't he be doing everything in his power to get the deed back?" 

Lina shrugged. "Maybe he knows when he's beaten," she said. "Besides, even if he does come after us, we still have possession of the deed." 

Zelgadis smiled as Lina took it out and handed it to him. "Now Zolf won't loose his home…" he said. He unrolled the deed and examined it, simply out of curiosity. "Na…nani yo??" 

"Doushitan da (What's wrong)?" Lina stood beside him and read the deed. "Ee??" 

"This is a fake!" Zelgadis crumbled it, threw it down to the ground, and began running back toward Rezo's estate. 

"Zel, matte!" Lina said, running after him. "Muda da yo (It's useless)!" 

Zelgadis stopped and looked back at her. "Naze?" 

"Xellos is probably long gone by now," Lina said. She smirked despite, hating to be fooled. "He must have figured we would attack him like that so he had a fake made." 

"Kuso!!" Zelgadis's shout echoed through the area. 

Lina's smile soon turned into a frown as she gazed out into space, thinking about the Mysterious Millionaire. _Xellos…_ she thought, while Zelgadis shouted profanities into the sky. _What kind of person are you?_ Somehow she knew that their paths would cross again…   
  
  
  


"Mou!!" Lina removed her gaze from the ceiling. "What a terrible night that was!" 

"You can say that again," Zelgadis said. He sighed and finished up his meal. "Well, Lina, if you're not going to eat, we might as well call it a night. We have to leave pretty early tomorrow if we want to explore that forest tomorrow. I've heard it's dangerous to go there at night." 

"Wakatta, wakatta," Lina said, picking up her fork, "but now I'm all fired up thinking about Xellos! I have to make sure I get a great dinner, so I'll be energized for our next venture!" She began to attack her food mercilessly. 

"At least she's back to her old self…" Zelgadis muttered under the noise of her eating, "…and all she needed to do was remind herself why Xellos irritates her…"   
  
  
  


"Achoo!" Xellos wiped his nose with his handkerchief. "Ara, ara, I must be getting close to them now." He took a rest in his travels and leaned against his staff. "I can sense them talking ill of me…"   
  
  
  
--To be continued... 

Next Chapter: Lina and Zelgadis explore some forest to find a native tribe's treasure. However, but some bad luck they end up in a worse situation than being broke... Who will come to their aid? As if it's not obvious! Expect this one when I update my other two fanfics--Ja ne! 


	5. Tricks, Trouble, and Treasure, Part One

*Author's Notes: Sorry about the long wait... If anyone was waiting... (*sweat-drop*) Anyway, I worked hard on this chapter and it was so long, I split it into two parts. I'm surprised some people have found previous chapters funny (because I never thought I was good at writing funny stuff), so I hope this chapter meets your expectations! Please enjoy, and as always, review to tell what you did and did not like! ^_^   
  
  
  


**Chapter Five: Tricks, Trouble, and Treasure, Part One**

  
  
  
  


Lina and Zelgadis had made it the Houshu Forest, the grounds where the Houshu Tribe was rumored to live. Well, it was more than a rumor that they lived there; the town near the forest, Trinket, had seen the Houshu from time to time and knew that they were a group to be reckoned with. The only problem that presented itself to Lina was that no one was willing to be her guide. Sure, many of the townspeople were aware that the Houshu had some kind of treasure that would make anyone rich beyond their fondest dreams, but none of them were brave enough to go into the forest to find this treasure. Many had tried before, but all had failed. Several had disappeared into the forest and never returned. Lina laughed at these scare tactics and went onto the forest alone (well, with Zelgadis). She'd find the treasure easily. 

"Lina, do you really think this is a good idea?" He shifted the bag on his back and tried not to think about how little Lina was carrying herself. 

"Mochiron!" Lina carried only a small bag that rested on her hip and was hung from a single strap on her shoulder. "We don't need a guide!" 

Zelgadis let out a breath. "How did I get myself into this mess?" he muttered to himself. Lina began to take a lead and he followed. "What's in that bag you have anyway?" 

"Oh, just a few essentials…" Lina said. She laughed and patted her bag. "I can feel it Zel--we're gonna get some money this time!" 

Zelgadis had actually been waiting for her to say something like that because it always led her to start rambling on about ten thousand other things. He was right because Lina was running her mouth off ten times faster than she was walking. Lina went on about how much she'd relish paying back Xellos and then paying him back with her fists. Zelgadis began to ignore her at that point and concentrate more on their surroundings. It seemed like any other forest: tall trees, thick bushes and grass, and animals moving about every know and then. Nothing was unusual or seemed to suggest that such a dangerous tribe lived within it. However, Zelgadis didn't let his guard down; that was Lina's job. She was doing her job quite well when she neared something moving in the grass. Zelgadis was able to tune out Lina's voice and hear the rustling of leaves and the sound of something brushing against the ground before he looked ahead of Lina's path. He frowned and quickly pulled out his dagger. 

"…the first thing I'm gonna do when--" Lina cut herself off in a cry when a dagger flew from behind her and nearly hit her foot. She began gasping for air and put a hand to her heart. 

"That was close," Zelgadis noted, standing beside her now. 

Lina caught her breath and grabbed Zelgadis by his collar. "What the hell did you think you were doing??" she said. "You almost stabbed me in the foot!!" 

"Look." 

"Hmm?" Lina was still frowning, but she looked down to where Zelgadis was pointing. Her face turned a bit blue at the sight of the snake pinned down into the ground, its blood staining the grass. 

"You're being too careless," Zelgadis said. He waited for the snake to stop moving before he retrieved his dagger. "I should lead from now on." 

"You??" Lina took a step forward, almost steeping on the snake. She made a face and carefully went around it. "Chotto (Hold it), Zel!" 

Zelgadis didn't slow nor turn back. "I hope we find what we're looking for soon," he said. "Considering we don't have a clue where we're going." 

Lina hopped over a hole in the ground. "Like I said before, Zel," she said. "If everyone's so scared to go into the forest, the Houshu probably pop immediately." 

"If that was your thought why are you walking through this forest as though we're on a hike?" Zelgadis began to push through a wide area of thick bushes, trying to keep his path straight. 

"Nani? Do you want me to be treading as if there's a trap laid at every corner?" Lina did the same, trying to make sure her face wasn't scratched by the branches. "Joudan ja nai yo (You've gotta be kidding)." 

Zelgadis let out a sigh. _She relies on her dumb luck too often,_ he thought. _Oh, well. I guess it's up to me to take care of those "rare" moments when her luck runs out…_

"Let's go this way," Lina said, when they managed to find a clearing in the forest. She pointed to something that looked like a path connected to the clearing. 

"Naze (Why)?" 

"Duh, Zel, when there's a path, you take it." 

"Unless it's a trap." 

Lina frowned. "How can it be a trap? A tribe that lives out in a forest like this can't be that smart." She put her hands on her hips. "Why are you being so cautious?" 

"The question should be why aren't _you,_" Zelgadis returned. He matched her frown. "Lina, two of your plans have already failed; this time we need to make sure your plan works." 

Lina took a step forward so that she was more in his face. "It's simple," she said. "We find this stupid tribe, get our hands on their treasure, and then trade it in for a bunch of money." 

"No, it's _not_ that simple," Zelgadis said, also taking a step forward. Their faces were now about a foot apart. "The townspeople said the Houshu are dangerous. It's not going to be a cakewalk here." 

"You're just being too careful!" 

"You're not being careful enough!" Zelgadis didn't engage in stupid battles where people argued uselessly back and forth, but he couldn't help himself this time. 

Lina and Zelgadis continued their squabble for three full minutes until they were interrupted by someone's giggling. The two forgot for a moment that they were fighting and prepared themselves for anything or anyone that might try to sneak up on them. The laughter continued while Zelgadis and Lina circled their area back to back. 

"Who do you think it is?" Lina said, more to herself than the source of the laughter. 

"It's not Xellos, that's for sure," Zelgadis said. "I couldn't imagine him distorting his voice enough to sound like…like…" 

"A child," Lina guessed. 

"A kid?" Zelgadis said, just as the laughter died down. 

A clapping sound appeared just before a boy with black hair stepped into the clearing. "Good ear, oneesan (lady)," he said. He smirked at the older two's stares. "You guys must be pretty brave to go into the Houshu Forest without a guide." 

"And just who are you, little boy?" Lina demanded. She whispered to Zelgadis, "I don't have qualms about fighting a little kid, do you?" 

Zelgadis sweat-dropped. "You sound as if you're going to beat him up regardless of what he says," he whispered back. 

The boy chuckled. "I'm Phibrizo H. Master," he said. "Nice to meet ya." 

"Sou ka na (Is that so)?" Lina said, smiling at him sweetly. She rolled up her sleeves and cracked her knuckles. "Zel, you can join in any time you're ready." 

"Matte (Wait), Lina!" Zelgadis held her back by her shoulders, amazed she didn't trust the boy so easily. He knew Lina was good at judging most people (especially if they were phonies), but she had decided the boy was dishonest just by introducing his name. 

"Hanase (Let go), Zel!" Lina said. "What kid his age would just be wandering around such a dangerous forest?? He's gotta be a Houshu or something!" 

"Me?" Phibrizo said, pointing at himself innocently. He laughed and shook his head. "I'm not a Houshu." 

"Well, what _are_ you doing out here then?" Zelgadis said, arms shaking as he struggled to hold Lina back. "We had the impression that all the townspeople were deathly afraid to enter this forest." 

"Yep, they are," Phibrizo said. He put his hands behind his head and smiled up at the sky. "Demo, I'm not like the rest of them, and I can show you where the Houshu live." 

"Nani?" Lina and Zelgadis said. 

"I'm a guide," Phibrizo said. "I know a lot about the Houshu, especially how to get up to them without getting killed." 

Zelgadis let go of Lina and the two exchanged glances. Phibrizo, in turn, turned his smile back upon them. The boy seemed innocent enough, but not enough for Zelgadis and Lina to readily accept his help. The two stepped aside so they could speak more privately. 

"I don't trust him," Zelgadis said. "His story's a little too suspicious for my tastes." 

"Uhn," Lina agreed. She stared at Phibrizo who stood like a smiling statue. "Demo, there's one thing that bothers me more than the bad feeling I get from that kid." 

"Nani sore (What's that)?" 

"What if he can actually show us where the Houshu are?" Lina said. She frowned as if concentrating. "I hate to think that I'd miss an opportunity to actually get that treasure." 

"I thought you said you didn't need a guide." 

"That's just because I couldn't find one." Lina smiled at his exasperated look. "Hang in there, Zel, okay?" 

"I'm doing my best," Zelgadis said. He shifted the bag on his back again. 

"Excuse me," Phibrizo said, making the two jump. Neither expected the boy to move from his stationary position; he was now standing right beside them. "I promise you two won't be dissatisfied with my services." 

Lina grabbed him by the collar. "Yeah, we better not!" she said. She raised her fist to his face. "Don't think for a moment I won't beat up a little boy." 

"I get you, oneesan," Phibrizo said, sweat-dropping. He laughed at her dead-serious expression. "Does that mean you'll let me be your guide?" 

"As long as you remain useful," Zelgadis said. He folded his arms over his chest. "We already have enough useless people in this party; we don't need any more." 

"Yeah!" Lina said, shaking her fist at the boy. Then she let him go and blinked. "Hey…what a minute!" 

"Arigatou, I'll be the best guide ever!" Phibrizo said, bowing. 

"Zel, what do you mean by saying I'm useless??" Lina demanded, forgetting Phibrizo existed. "I'm the brains of this group!!" 

"That's one opinion…" 

"A…Ano…" Phibrizo said when Lina began chasing Zelgadis, threatening to beat his head in. "Please listen..." 

"Lina, we're wasting time here!" Zelgadis said, ducking her attempts to knock off his head. "The longer we stay here, the more of a chance Xellos has to find us!" 

"Urasai (Shut up)! I know what I'm doing!" She leapt onto Zelgadis back, trying to make him fall down. 

"Lina!" Zelgadis said, wobbling on his feet. "Cal…calm down!" 

Phibrizo sighed and put his hands on his hips. "At this rate, I'll never get to discuss my pay--ahhh!" He never knew someone who could move as quickly as Lina; she was now looming over him with an outraged expression. "O…oneesan??" 

"Pay??" Lina said. She cracked her knuckles. "You want us to pay a suspicious character like you??" 

Zelgadis took the bag off his back, and rotated his shoulders. "One mention of money and Lina is totally distracted," he said gratefully. He leaned back and cracked his back. "She can really be scary sometimes…" 

"I won't ask for much," Phibrizo said, smiling nervously. "I just want maybe five gold coins." 

"I'm not paying anything!" Lina said. She bent down so she was eye-level with him. "You have a problem with that?" 

"Uh…" Phibrizo said, slowly backing up. 

"We can spare it, Lina," Zelgadis said. "You earned a little money on the trip here, didn't you?" 

"Well, yeah, but--" 

"Or, would you like to add some more money to the debt you owe me?" 

Lina laughed and went into her bag. "Hey, I've got this covered," she said. "Don't worry about a thing." She pulled out five gold coins and handed them to Phibrizo. 

"Arigatou," Phibrizo said, a devious smile beginning to appear on his face. 

His smile immediately disappeared when Lina got into his face again with her teeth bared. "If you try to double-cross us, Phibrizo, you're toast," she promised. 

"H…Hai…" 

Zelgadis put the bag back on. "Oh, boy," he said. "It's gonna be a long trip after all…"   
  
******   
  


For the most part the guided trip had gone smoothly. Phibrizo seemed to know where he was going, and Lina wasn't threatening him too much. Zelgadis was thankful for that, but he nor Lina trusted Phibrizo completely yet. The boy smiled way too much for their comfort; after all, the two people they trusted the least in the world were guys that "smiled" a great deal. Since Lina was indeed reminded of Xellos when she looked at Phibrizo, she wondered if she were being a bit too cynical because Xellos was the type of person that looked nice on the outside, but was rotten on the inside. Then again, Lina realized she wasn't alone in her mistrust of the boy; Zelgadis too didn't seem to have a great deal of confidence in Phibrizo. This made her feel as though she wasn't being too hard on the kid. 

"Ne, Zel," Lina said, steady following behind Phibrizo. 

"Nani?" Zelgadis said, the last in their little traveling line. 

"Who do you trust more: Rezo or Xellos?" 

Zelgadis snorted. "Neither," he said. "In my book, they're nearly the same." 

"Demo, Rezo isn't as tricky as Xellos is. I couldn't imagine him doing something like Xellos has." 

"Are you kidding?? What about the time he set us up?? He claimed we were the ones that had stolen his priceless vase just so he could catch the real criminals who thought they were off the hook since we had the blame!" 

"Oh…oh, yeah…" Lina said. She rubbed her chin. "Rezo _isn't_ that different than Xellos…" 

"Damn straight," Zelgadis said. He paused for a minute before saying any more. "What brought that up anyway?" 

Lina slowed her pace so that she was side-by-side with Zelgadis. "What if this kid works for Xellos or something?" she said lowly. "He keeps reminding me of him with his overly-cheerful attitude." 

"Well, it's not impossible." He looked ahead at Phibrizo's back. "Still, he would have had to known we were coming here a long time ago." 

"Yes, but we know that Xellos has connections _everywhere_," Lina said. She narrowed her eyes. "If this kid turns out to be--" 

Phibrizo stopped, cutting Lina's speech short. He turned to Zelgadis and Lina, pointing behind himself. Lina frowned and took a step forward so she could see what he was pointing at. 

"Heh…" Lina said, noticing the chasm. She looked across to the other side, just barely able to see it. Below were several sharp rocks sitting in shallow water. "Didn't expect this to be in the forest." 

"So, will we find the Houshu Tribe on the other side?" Zelgadis asked. 

Phibrizo nodded. "There's a bridge not too far from here we can take," he said. He turned to his right and started leading again. 

"By the way, how do you know so much about this forest?" Zelgadis said, the first to follow Phibrizo this time. Lina trailed behind, examing the deep gap within the forest. 

"Well, I've had to use this forest many times to hide myself," Phibrizo said. He sighed. "The townspeople don't like me very much…" 

"Hmph, I can't imagine why…" Lina said, finally paying attention. When Phibrizo laughed in his cute, yet underhanded manner, Lina glared in his direction. 

"Oneesan, it's not what you think," Phibrizo said. He smiled ahead of him though neither Lina or Zelgadis could see. "I have to make my living begging for food and money because I don't have any family to provide for me. That makes a lot of the adults in the town angry, so they run me out into the forest. Demo, sometimes travelers come to find the Houshu treasure and I'm lucky enough to get money that way. Of course, none of the people I've led into the forest have ever returned…" 

Lina rushed up to Phibrizo and held him in a headlock. "That's _your_ fault, isn't it??" she demanded. She only tightened her grip when he claimed he couldn't breathe. 

"Lina!" Zelgadis said. He managed to get her to release the boy. "I thought we agreed for now he's our only option for getting through this forest!" 

"Come on, Zel!" Lina said, staring daggers at Phibrizo. "You don't believe that story he just told us, do you?" 

"Hontou desu (It's true)," Phibrizo said. He rubbed his neck and made a pitiful face. "Oneesan, just because you don't believe me doesn't mean you have to be so violent…" 

Lina laughed, rubbing a hand over her fist. "Oh, you haven't seen me violent yet…" she promised. 

"Lina, regardless of what we think about him, we have little choice about him guiding us," Zelgadis said. He motioned for Phibrizo to start walking again, and then started again himself. "We don't have any other guide and so far Phibrizo's done a good job." 

"Ari…Arigatou, oniisan," Phibrizo said, smiling like normal. 

"Shikashi (However), if you end up tricking us…" Zelgadis went on, "Lina won't be your only problem." 

Phibrizo's smile became more disjointed. "Ha…Hai…" 

Lina settled down a little, glad to know that Zelgadis didn't truly trust the boy, but was just doing what seemed in their best interest at the time. When they reached the bridge six minutes later, she was surprised the bridge was not only very narrow, but also looked about as stable as a house made out of matches. Lina didn't have a fear of heights, but she could see how the bridge could make her start to have one. Phibrizo was the first to step on the bridge, acting as if it was the most common thing ever. Lina was a little impressed by his fearlessness, but it only made her more suspicious of the boy. 

"Who made this bridge anyway?" Lina said as she carefully put a foot on the first plank. 

"The Houshu, I guess," Phibrizo said, moving rapidly across the bridge. "I don't know why they'd want to build it since they don't like outsiders…" 

"Oi, why are you walking so fast??" Lina demanded. She held onto the rope railing as the bridge swayed from his fast speed. Phibrizo only chuckled and continued at the same speed. 

"Lina, just go a little faster yourself," Zelgadis said, slowed down by her delayed pace. 

"I'm going as fast as I can!" Lina snapped, having moved barely two feet on the bridge. 

Zelgadis grinned, noticing that she was now urged to practice some caution. "Don't forget that the faster we get we arrive at our destination, the faster we'll have the money to rid yourself of Xellos," he reminded her. 

Lina's eyes took an energetic shine and she clenched her hands at her side. "Right!" she shouted. She let go of the rail and took off at a more considerable speed. "Let's go!" 

As the bridge began to sway from Lina's increased speed, Zelgadis held onto the railing. He snorted, almost regretting that he had encouraged her to go faster. However, he was then able to walk at a speed more to his liking and remained at a pace that kept him a distance of about five feet from Lina. Zelgadis was actually enjoying their little run down the bridge despite the peculiarity of not being able to see Phibrizo any more. He was too amused by Lina's motivation to move faster to take the time to ponder about the child. 

Zelgadis soon lost his smile when he saw a board break under Lina's foot. Lina cried out just as her left leg sank down into the space where the wood used to be. Though Lina were in no serious trouble, having one leg stretched out on the remaining planks, Zelgadis didn't waste much time to get over to her side. In the meantime Lina tried to pull herself up, making the same amount of noise that one makes when lifting heavy objects. Zelgadis figured he would have found humor in this too if she didn't have the chance of falling down to her death. 

"Many of these boards are old," Zelgadis said as he pulled her up. He tried not to smile at the fact he was stating the obvious. 

"No kidding…" Lina said, only halfway glaring at him. Now that she was back on her feet on a board just before the one that had fallen, she looked forward at her path. Lina gasped, realizing that she hadn't taken much notice of where she was going. 

Zelgadis raised a brow and then gazed in the same direction as her. His eyes widened as he saw how damaged the rest of the bridge was. There were several large gaps in the bridge and the few planks that were there were either cracked or partially broken. 

Lina finally shook her shock away and allowed her mouth to move again. "What the hell??" she said. "There's no way Phibrizo got through all this! He must have fallen…" 

The two simultaneously looked below to see if they could see his body clinging to any of the sharp rocks at the bottom. "Probably," Zelgadis said. They continued to search for his body until they began to hear a familiar voice. 

"Huh?" Lina was the first to snap her head up. She squinted forward and saw a faint image of Phibrizo or at least what she assumed was him after hearing what sounded like his voice in the distance. 

"What is it?" Zelgadis said, unable to see past her. 

Lina turned back to Zelgadis and pointed behind her as if her hand could reach the rest of the length of the bridge and grab Phibrizo. "Ano gaki (That brat)!" she shouted. "He's at the end of the bridge!" Lina turned back in the direction of the end of the bridge. "How the hell did Phibrizo manage to get across??" 

"He probably sabotaged it as he came across," Zelgadis said, though Lina hadn't stopped screaming about the impossibility of Phibrizo completely crossing the bridge. He waited until his words had registered in Lina's brain and she had quieted before he went on. "This might be a ploy by Xellos to deter us from going any further." 

"Nani?" Lina said. "Even Xellos couldn't have planned something this well and even if he did, I'm sure he knows both of us well enough to know that we wouldn't just simply turn tail and run at the sight of adversity." 

"Hmph, well, you're right about that last part," Zelgadis said. He motioned for Lina to step back so he could stand in her previous spot. "When Xellos is concerned, I'm not willing to let him win." 

"What are you--" Lina cut herself off as Zelgadis kicked down two of the boards adjacent to the one that had broken under Lina's foot. Before she could try to figure out the sense of doing that, he firmly grabbed the rope railing with both hands and dropped down into the gap. As he started to pulling himself forward, Lina understood his actions. 

"Naru hodo (I see)," Lina said. She held onto the railing with one hand as the bridge swayed when Zelgadis kicked down the next couple of boards in his way. "That's the way to go!" 

"I beginning to think this journey was a little too safe," Zelgadis joked as Lina began to follow his lead. "What's the point of us traveling and not having to risk our lives every now and then?" 

"I know you're joking," Lina said, eventually getting into a steady pattern of moving herself forward hand by hand, "but I seriously think that way." Zelgadis only snorted which Lina interpreted to be a repressed laugh. 

Zelgadis's method of crossing the bridge worked pretty well and, despite their inability to go hastily, the two managed to make it past the bad part of the bridge in a little less than an hour. Zelgadis noticed that the bridge started to look more sturdy and stopped knocking down the boards. Swinging his feet so they could land on top of the next two planks, Zelgadis was able to pull himself back onto the bridge. Luckily he was right about his observation and as far as he could tell, the rest of the bridge was suitable for walking upon. Lina reached him in a minute and he helped her up. 

"I'm guessing it will okay for us to walk the rest of the way," Zelgadis said. 

"Uhn." Lina grinned at him and smacked him on the back, taking no noticing of him losing his balance when she did so. "That was pretty impressive, Zel." 

Zelgadis coughed and he regained his balance. "Bestu ni (It was nothing)," he said. 

Lina allowed Zelgadis to lead again as well as allowed herself to smile at his good idea until she caught a better sight of Phibrizo. He was patiently waiting at the end of the bridge, smiling as he waved at their approach. It only took her a second to forget that she was on a bridge and to let her anger overtake her. Lina didn't take any heed as she ran over Zelgadis (literally) just so she could reach Phibrizo quicker. Zelgadis laid flat on the bridge, wondering if he was lucky that the boards didn't give away considering Lina had trampled all over his back and head. 

"Li…Lina…" Zelgadis said, slowly lifting himself up. 

By that time Lina had already reached her prey and was holding him up by his neck. "Onore (Why you)!!" she said, not caring if she was spitting in his face or not. "How the hell did you get across so easily and quickly??" 

Phibrizo sweat-dropped. "Uh…I'm used to it…" he said. "You just kinda pull yourself along with the railing to get across the gaps and bad part in the middle…" 

Zelgadis finally stepped off the bridge and dusted himself off. "That's funny, we had the same idea…" he said dryly. When Phibrizo shrugged and laughed nervously, Zelgadis gave the boy an evil look. 

"You too, oniisan?" Phibrizo said, unable to keep his smile from shaking when the two of them were looking as though they were going to kill him. 

Zelgadis moved closer to Phibrizo. "If you're working for Xellos, tell us now!" he demanded. 

"I swear I have no idea who that is!" Phibrizo said, putting on his puppy-dog face. 

Lina shook Phibrizo, taking no heed of his neck snapping back and forth. "Don't lie to me!" Phibrizo wanted to defend himself more, but her rough actions caused him to become dizzy and inevitably incoherent in speech. Even Zelgadis felt compelled to feel a little sorry for the boy then, deciding no child deserved to be abused by Lina Inverse. 

Zelgadis put a hand to his chin. "Maybe he works for Rezo…" he offered, halfway thinking that and halfway thinking his comment would distract Lina enough to not harass Phibrizo as much. 

"Uso (No way)," Lina said, dropping her hands from around Phibrizo's neck. 

Zelgadis shrugged. "He has always wanted to prove to me that traveling around is too dangerous." 

"Well…I guess that could be true…" Lina didn't notice Phibrizo on the ground next to her feet holding his head. 

Phibrizo finally was able to think straight and looked up at Lina with offense. "Please, oneesan…oniisan… I'm just a guide. I'm not out to hurt anyone." More beads of sweat ran down the side of his head when he saw that his words only resulted in more death glares and folded arms from his "brother" and "sister." 

Zelgadis and Lina stayed like this for a long time before finally letting out a breath at the same time. "All right," Lina said, frowning, "we believe you. Now, how much farther until we get to the Houshu?" 

Phibrizo jumped to his feet and pointed into the forest. "It's not far now," he reported. 

"Good," Lina said. "Lead on." 

"Hai!" Phibrizo happily took the lead again while the older two trudged behind him. 

Zelgadis sighed. "I can't wait until this is all over…" he muttered. 

"Me too," Lina agreed. However, her attitude wasn't glum. Her hands were once again clenched and an eager smile was on her face. When she claimed she couldn't wait to get rid of Xellos and began laughing like a little girl who was sure she was getting a pony for her birthday, Zelgadis made a mental note not to do anything to make her have another of her rapid mood swings. 

Lina and Zelgadis remained relatively quiet after that, concentrating on where Phibrizo was leading them. Both were thoroughly trying to figure out exactly what the little one was up to, but since it seemed to be nothing tied to Xellos (or Rezo) that left them with as about as many plausible theories as moot theories. Of course, they didn't let their thoughts distract them so much that they would allow Phibrizo to get them off-guard. When Phibrizo finally stopped after a thirty minute walk, Lina and Zelgadis prepared themselves as if expecting Phibrizo to turn around and announce that he was really a powerful monster in disguise. 

"This is as far as I go," Phibrizo said. "From here is where the Houshu are likely to be." 

"Sou ka (I see)," Lina said. She grinned and walked a little past Phibrizo. "Zel, let's go for it." 

Zelgadis nodded though Lina still had her back to him. "I guess we owe you thanks, Phibrizo," he muttered as he passed him. 

"Ah…ma-matte (wa-wait)!" Phibrizo said before they had gone too far from him. He blushed when the two turned back and rubbed his stomach. "If it's not too much trouble, do you think you can spare to give me some food?" 

"Hmph," Lina said. "Joudan ja nai yo (You've got to be kidding)." 

Zelgadis caught Lina's arm before she was able to start off again. "Matte, Lina," he said. He paid little attention to her glare. "It's the least we can do. After all, it seems as though he's taken us exactly where we want to be." 

Lina could only stare at him with a wide mouth as Zelgadis walked back to Phibrizo. For a moment she stood there, stubbornly refusing to move an inch, but eventually Zelgadis's words made sense to her. Lina let out a frustrated sigh and followed her friend. 

Zelgadis took the bag off his back and set it on the ground next to Phibrizo. The boy had a grateful smile on his face as Zelgadis began pulling items out of the bag in search for the food he had packed inside. Lina merely stood to the side, arms folded and eyes locked on the clouds above. 

"Let's see here…" Zelgadis said as he removed his money pouch from the bag and dropped it on the ground with the other things. He soon pulled out a bundle wrapped in a large cloth. "Here we go." 

"Arigatou," Phibrizo said as Zelgadis handed him an apple. He didn't seem to be aware of Lina frowning at him now. 

"Sorry that we don't have much to give you," Zelgadis said. He had still been trying to figure out why Lina, a.k.a. the infinitely hungry girl, hadn't brought more food on their trip. 

Lina tried to keep her frown on the boy, but somehow seeing him eating just the apple made her feel sorry. She wanted to think it had nothing with any sort of compassion she might have had for the boy, but rather that she understood hunger more than anyone else. As much as she didn't like the boy, she guessed she couldn't let him go hungry. 

"Oh, all right!" Lina said as if anyone had expected her to cave in. Zelgadis and Phibrizo had no idea what she was talking about. 

Lina took off her bag and set it on the ground. After pulling out her small money pouch and placing it next to the bag, she pulled out a much larger bundle. Zelgadis blinked as she untied it to reveal the cloth held a larger quantity of food. Lina merely smiled at their surprise and held the bundle toward Phibrizo. 

"Here, take some more," Lina said. 

Zelgadis grabbed Lina's shoulder. "Why am I carrying all the heavy stuff and you're just carrying food you brought for yourself??" he demanded. 

Lina reddened slightly. "Now, now, Zel," she said with one of her dumb smiles, "I was gonna share…eventually… Besides, I _had_ to bring this food. I couldn't let myself get hungry, right?" 

"Lina…omae (you)…" Zelgadis clenched his other hand, holding back the urge to smack his friend. Lina's laughter didn't help him suppress the urge. 

Phibrizo glanced between the two, noticing both were concentrating on the other. He smiled a little as he finished eating some of the bread he had taken from Lina's supply. Lina didn't even acknowledge she was holding the cloth in her lap anymore; she was busy trying to calm down Zelgadis who wouldn't let go of the fact that she was hording food while she was treating him like a slave. 

"Ah!" Phibrizo took a moment to swallow after Lina and Zelgadis gave him their attention. "I think I heard something ahead!" 

Zelgadis immediately rose, readying his hand at his sword. "Houshu?" 

Lina laid the cloth with the food on the ground before she stood with Zelgadis. "Probably," she said. 

"Onegai…could you guys check it out?" Phibrizo said as if he was terrified. "If they're here already, it'll be difficult for me to run away." 

"Let's go, Lina." 

"Uhn." 

Lina and Zelgadis went out into the forest, keeping their eyes open for a sign of anyone who could be hiding within the bushes or behind the trees. Even so, they hadn't moved more than twenty feet away from where they had left Phibrizo and their bags. Neither was too concerned about their stuff or Phibrizo, but after they had been searching the area for a while, they were beginning to get the feeling no one was there or if someone had been there, they were gone. Zelgadis wandered back toward Lina who was the furthest into the forest. 

Lina glanced at him shaking her head; however, she decided to keep walking forward a little more. "I don't see any--" she said just before she felt the ground fall underneath her feet. 

"Doushita n--" Zelgadis felt Lina's hand grab him and bring him down with her. 

It wasn't until the two had finally landed on the ground again, after screaming and uselessly trying to reach for something, that they realized they had fallen into a pit. Of course, none of that really mattered to Lina who had not only landed so her leg had hit a rock, but had Zelgadis land on top of her in addition. Lina uselessly tried to push him off her. 

"Zel! Move!!" Lina said, shoving him over and over again. She finally noticed that he hadn't quite gotten himself together yet. "Zel?" 

Zelgadis grunted and held his head. "Sorry…" he said. He gradually lifted himself back to his feet. 

"Watch where you're falling next time!" Lina said. She slowly tried to rise. 

"Nani yo?? You were the one that dragged me in here!" Zelgadis said. He held onto his sore left shoulder. 

"That's not impor--itai (ow)!!" Lina discovered that when she tried to stand with her right leg it was extremely painful. She sunk back to the ground and cradled her leg. 

"Doushita (What's wrong), Lina?" Zelgadis went over to her and examined her leg. The rock had made a nice wound along her ankle and part of her thigh and had also ripped her pant leg. 

"Kuso (Shit)…" Lina said. Her expression seemed more annoyed than pain stricken. "I don't need this right now…" 

"Yeah…" Zelgadis said. _We might have to get out of here ourselves and if Lina's injured_… he thought. 

They heard laughter from above and Zelgadis and Lina lost interest in her injury for the moment, recognizing the voice. "Phibrizo?" Lina said, soon seeing his face from the top of the pit. 

Phibrizo smirked down at them. "Arigatou, oneesan, oniisan," he said. He held up their money pouches. "The food and the money will help." He began to laugh again, except with much more derision. 

"Phibrizo, omae!!" Lina instinctively tried to stand up so she could shout at him, but dropped back down after experiencing intense pain. 

"Lina…" Zelgadis said. He stared at her a moment before scowling back up at Phibrizo. "Gaki (Brat)! You're responsible for all of this, aren't you??" 

Phibrizo's grin seemed to answer the question, but he didn't verify it verbally. Instead he threw Lina and Zelgadis's bags down into the pit with them. They landed in front of the two. 

"You can have those back," Phibrizo said. His grin only became wider. "I've gotten what I needed from them." 

"Forget that!" Lina said, shaking her fist up at him. "Get us out of here!!" 

"Masaka (No way)," Phibrizo laughed. "This way, I don't have to worry about you guys anymore. I thought the bridge would take care of you, but it seems you guys are a lot stronger than I guessed. Oh, well." 

"Then your story--" Zelgadis began. 

"Right, it was a lie," Phibrizo said. He shook his head as if sympathetic. "Well, I guess there's some truth to it; I don't have family to provide for me, so I've made it my business to 'guide' all the stupid people who want to find the Houshu's treasure. It's really stupid to think that anyone could take the Houshu on and survive, so I'm really doing you a favor." 

"Favor, my foot!" Lina said. "If you just wanted our money and food, then you should have asked!" 

Zelgadis looked at Lina again. "Are you saying that you would have given him what he wanted had he told the truth from the beginning?" 

"Of course not!" Lina said. She tried not to laugh at her self-contradiction. "Demo, he still should have asked instead of tricking us…" 

"Tricking people is really fun," Phibrizo said. "Plus, it gets me what I want easily." 

"Listen, Phibrizo!" Lina went on, getting over her slight embarrassment. "When we get out of here, we're gonna beat the hell out of you and then throw _you_ into a pit!!" 

"Ha ha, oneesan," Phibrizo said. "There's no way you can get out of here. That's why you shouldn't mind I took your money and food; once the Houshu come this way, you'll be dead. Don't take it too hard. That's life, ne?" 

"Come back here!!" Lina insisted as Phibrizo disappeared. They could hear him laughing as he left, even though Lina was making enough noise by herself. 

"Kuso, he's gone," Zelgadis said when he couldn't hear any indication that Phibrizo was around. He looked at Lina with a sigh; she hadn't stopped screaming at him. "Lina, give it up--he's gone." 

"That little jerk!" Lina continued to fume. "I promise that I'm going to make sure he doesn't live to see his next birthday! I'm get gonna get out of this pit and kill him!" Lina tried once again to stand up, but of course, she fell back down for the second time. 

"Let's worry about getting revenge on him later," Zelgadis said. He picked up his bag from the ground and walked back over to her. "We need to take care of your leg first, so keep still." 

"I can't believe this is happening to me…" Lina sighed as Zelgadis kneeled down beside her. _I almost regret running away from Xellos,_ she thought. _Almost._   
  
******   
  


Lina had been quiet ever since Zelgadis had taken the time to bandage her ankle. She guessed it wasn't going to help either one of them to be screaming her head off or uselessly trying to stand up, so she just stayed put and allowed her friend to take care of things. Zelgadis paced back in forth, trying to figure out a way to get them out of the pit. Unfortunately, he hadn't brought anything for climbing, thinking it wasn't necessary in a forest. Lina's injury also took away many options; for instance, Zelgadis might have been able to find a way to throw Lina up out of the pit, but doing so now would be extremely dangerous to her health. He had packed a rope, but there wasn't anything he could attach the rope to. The majority of the pit was rock, clay, and grass. 

"Dou suru (What are we gonna do)?" Zelgadis muttered to himself. He walked to the center of the pit and stared above. "Thank God it hasn't rained…" 

Lina, hearing Zelgadis saying things to himself, looked up in the same direction. "The sun's beginning to drop," she noted. She let out a sigh. "If only I hadn't hurt my leg! We might have had a chance to get out of here!" 

"Aa," Zelgadis agreed. "Phibrizo said the Houshu would find us soon. I guess we'll have to wait for them to get us and try to fight our way from them." 

"Yeah!" Lina smacked her palm with her fist. "If we let ourselves be captured by the Houshu for a while, we'd still have a chance to get that treasure!" 

Zelgadis shrugged. "Saa (Who knows)?" He walked over to Lina and sat down beside her. "First we need to worry about getting out of the pit before we worry about finding treasure." 

Lina smiled and put her hands behind her head. "You know, Zel, if you were Rezo's heir, I could have just borrowed the money from you instead of Xellos." 

"Hmph. Then you'd be indebted to _me_." 

"Hey, what's a few gold pieces between friends, ne?" Lina laughed and Zelgadis shook his head. 

"Not only would I never 'lend' you money, but I also would rather be poor for the rest of my life than take Rezo's dishonest money. I'll stick to my own methods of providing for myself instead of using the dirty ways of my uncle." 

"Guess I can't blame you for feeling that way about Rezo," Lina said. She closed her eyes, becoming a bit bored. "I wish the Houshu would hurry up." 

"Aa." 

Lina and Zelgadis fell into a silence, allowing Lina to have some time to think about things. When she had started the whole hide-and-go-seek thing with Xellos, she hadn't thought she would get as far as she did. Sure, she figured she could get out of town and hide out somewhere for a while, but in the back of her mind, she thought Xellos would find her within a day. However, since she had managed to keep her distance from him for several days, Lina turned her plan around. Before Xellos would catch up to her, she'd have the money she owed him. She was aware it was difficult to get so much money in a rush, but Lina Inverse wasn't the type to avoid something just because it was a challenge. Of course, Lina couldn't say that after Xellos had messed up two of her plans that she wasn't a bit discouraged. Discouraged or not, Lina wasn't going to give up, in spite of this. 

_Oh, well,_ Lina thought. _Maybe this time my plan is working out even worse than the others, but that doesn't mean I still don't have a chance to get my hands on that treasure. My leg might be injured, but as long as I'm not dead I have--_

"Lina." 

Lina slowly opened her eyes and gazed at Zelgadis. He was pointing ahead of them. Lina raised a brow and looked in the direction he was pointing. A rope was gradually being lowered into the pit, but no person could be seen above. 

"I guess the Houshu's finally here, ne?" Lina said, stepping out of her relaxed mood. 

"Probably," Zelgadis said. He was watching the rope carefully as if it was a snake crawling down into the pit. "However, I thought the approach of a tribe would be a lot noisier. I didn't hear a single thing that suggested anyone was around. That leads me to believe we're not going to deal with too many people." 

Zelgadis rose and then helped Lina to her feet, allowing her to use him as a sort of a crutch. Together they walked over to the rope. By that time, the tip of the rope was touching the bottom of the pit. As much as he knew whoever was waiting for them at the top was dangerous, Zelgadis also knew that Lina had to go first. He almost laughed at his hesitation, forgetting that Lina was perfectly capable of taking care of herself. 

"You'll go first, Lina," Zelgadis said. He grabbed her by her waist and lifted her up so that she could grab hold of the rope without having to stand on her feet. "I'll be behind you for support. You won't have any trouble pull yourself up without the use of your legs, right?" 

"Mochiron (Of course)," Lina said, taking hold of the rope. She let her feet dangle behind her. "This is nothing for Lina Inverse." 

Zelgadis smirked as he watched her begin to pull herself up. "Of course." He waited until she was a good bit up before starting to climb up the rope himself. 

Lina had to admit she was struggling a bit and her leg was throbbing from the pull of gravity. However, she wouldn't dare complain about this or even suggest this was true. Lina doubted Zelgadis would make fun of her (it wasn't really his style), but that was no reason for her to allow him to know of her troubles. She wasn't making bad progress anyway. Lina did, though, begin to get bad vibes as she began to reach the top. It was definitely a gut feeling, nothing founded on anything she saw. She still couldn't see who had lowered the rope into the pit. 

_This feeling,_ she thought, _is just like…like…_

"Made it!" Lina said, as her hands moved past the top of the pit. Her thoughts of strange feelings had ceased. However, they soon came back when she looked around to see her rescuer. "Xellos!" 

Xellos, standing next to the rope that was tied to a nearby tree, waved to Lina as he dawned his standard smile. Lina completely forget that Zelgadis was behind, which was obvious when he inquired about Xellos and she acted as if she heard nothing. Her face turned blue and she slowly began to let go of the rope. Just as she fully let go of it, Xellos quickly went over to her and caught her hand. 

"No, no, Lina-san," Xellos said. He laughed at her surprised expression. "Did you seriously think I'd let you fall back into the pit like that?" 

_Ku…kuso…_ Lina thought. _Xellos again?? But how??_

Xellos easily pulled Lina up from the pit with one hand and let her sit near the edge. He immediately took notice of her injury and stood up with a sort of satisfied smile. Lina glared at him as if he had personally caused her wound. 

"Ara (Oh), it looks as if you've had a little trouble in your journey, ne?" Xellos asked in a more mocking tone than one of concern. 

"Xellos…how??" Lina was too surprised and furious to see Xellos to make complete sentences. 

Xellos only grinned in response which only made Lina more furious. It made her even more furious that she couldn't attack Xellos in any way with her leg injured. By now she would have either knocked him into the pit or tried to run away. Lina then thought of Zelgadis and looked over to the pit as his head poked up from the top. Xellos, too, took notice of Zelgadis reaching the top and picked up his staff from the ground. Lina looked back at the grinning man, wondering what he was planning to do. 

"Xe…Xellos--kisama (bastard)!" Zelgadis said. He began to pull himself out of the pit feverously. 

Lina held back a shiver from the way Xellos laughed after that. Her eyes widened as Xellos smacked Zelgadis back down into the pit with his staff. Xellos took a step forward to see if Zelgadis had fallen, having not heard the sound of his body hitting the ground. Zelgadis had grabbed onto the rope again about halfway down. 

"Zelgadis…" Lina said, guessing that Zelgadis hadn't fallen again because of the lack of audio evidence. 

"Onore!!" Zelgadis shouted. He drew in several breaths, glad he had managed to grab the rope again. Xellos gave him an evil smile as he removed the blade hidden within his staff. 

"Ja ne, Zelgadis-san," Xellos said. With a swift motion, he cut the rope beside him. He snickered and covered the blade with the other half of the staff once more. 

Lina called out for Zelgadis as she heard her friend shout as he fell back down into the pit. Xellos chuckled to himself, especially when he heard the gratifying thump when Zelgadis hit the ground. He also found it somewhat amusing to hear Lina calling out for Zelgadis as if he were dead. Xellos returned his smile to normal (enigmatic, opposed to sinister) and walked back over to Lina, placing his staff on the belt around his waist. 

"Ah, gomen nasai, Lina-san," Xellos said as if he were embarrassed she had to see that, "demo I can't tolerate Zelgadis-san being in my way again." 

Lina swallowed and tried to look at him with anger rather than apprehension. "You're not really going to leave him there, are you?" 

Xellos shook a finger at her. "Don't worry about him right now," he chided. "We need to get you back to town and get your leg looked at by a doctor." He bent down next to her. 

"De…demo!" Lina protested. She began furiously wrestling with Xellos as he tried to pick her up. "Ze…Zel…!" 

Down in the pit, Zelgadis slowly sat up and put a hand to his head. He could clearly hear Lina struggling with Xellos and regularly calling his name. Zelgadis weakly got to his feet and clenched his fists. 

"Lina…"   
  


To be continued....   
  


Next Part: What will happen to Zelgadis left in the pit? Will Xellos take Lina back to Hadin and let Zelgadis be killed by the Houshu? Will Lina's crazy plan have finally done her a lot more harm than good? Keep reading if you're curious! ^_^ 


	6. Tricks, Trouble, and Treasure, Part Two

*Author's Notes: Some of the things that happen (mainly Xellos's doings) are left unexplained. I dunno if I'll explain what happened later, or if I'll just leave it up to the reader's imagination. ^_^ Doesn't matter, unless you get seriously confused. If you are, review and tell me so, or send me an email! Enjoy!   
  
  
  


**Tricks, Trouble, and Treasure, Part Two**   
  
  
  


It had taken Lina a long time to calm herself down and allow Xellos to carry her. Finally Xellos had been able to carry Lina in silence for a little over an hour. It wasn't just the fact that Lina wanted to help Zelgadis that she despised him toting her like a bag; she couldn't stand Xellos having his hands on her. She didn't trust him, especially since she didn't have the use of both her legs. Lina realized that she was going to have to rely on her brain to get her out of this situation. Also, she didn't want to risk falling out of Xellos's arms and injuring herself further. At the moment she was at the mercy of Xellos which frightened her more than it made her angry. Xellos was exactly the type of guy to take advantage of a situation such as the one Lina was in. 

_What else can I do?_ Lina thought. _I'm no good to Zel if I get hurt worse. I'll just have to wait until Xellos takes me to a doctor and then try my best to get back to Zelgadis…if he's still alive by then…_

Lina peered up at the smiling Xellos and began to feel queasy. He didn't seem to take any notice of her displease, which only made Lina sicker. She was still a little shocked Xellos had found her and Zelgadis once again. 

"How did you manage to find us again?" Lina asked. 

Xellos continued to walk, keeping his eyes ahead of him. "My answer will probably just make you angry, Lina-san," he said. He laughed, knowing that she was making a sour face. 

"Sore wa himitsu desu?" Lina guessed. She had relished the short amount of time she hadn't heard that stupid phrase. 

"Bingo!" Lina sulked while he briefly laughed. She was surprised when he started speaking again. "Actually, Lina-san, I'll tell you the truth." 

"Truth?" Lina raised a brow. Had that word ever came out of Xellos's mouth? Had Xellos ever said a word that was "true?" 

"Well, _some_ of the truth, anyway," Xellos laughed. He was aware of Lina's angry expression after he had said that. "I had been wandering the forest for some time without a clue where to find you and your companion. Luckily, I came across someone who helped me find you two." 

"Someone?" 

Xellos smiled. "There he is." 

Lina blinked and looked ahead of their path. Though the light in the forest was dimming, Lina could clearly see a young boy tied to a tree. She knew she should have been furious, but she couldn't help but be stunned. 

"Phibrizo!" 

"I heard him giggling about fooling two people after I got across that gap in the forest," Xellos explained as they approached him. 

"You jerk!" Phibrizo shouted as he tried to twist himself out of his constraints. "Let me go or you'll be in big trouble!!" 

"I assumed he was referring to you and Zelgadis," Xellos added. Lina sweat-dropped and coughed away her sheepish laughter. 

Xellos stopped in front of Phibrizo, and the boy settled himself a little. His face was completely different from when Lina had first met the little boy and certainly different from his gleeful face when he left Lina and Zelgadis in the pit. Phibrizo looked vicious, not unlike a dog that had been starved and beaten for weeks. 

"I said let me go," Phibrizo hissed between his teeth. 

Lina forgot for a moment that Xellos was there and let her fury rise again. "Phibrizo, you have a lot of nerve!!" she said. "You made a big mistake crossing Lina Inverse!!" 

"Don't get too worked up, Lina-san," Xellos instructed. He carefully laid her on the ground. "It might be bad for your injury." 

"Who cares about that??" 

Xellos took his staff in his hand and shook it at Lina as if scolding her. "Now, now," he said. He smirked and stepped up closer to Phibrizo. 

"Wha…what do you want, kisama??" Phibrizo asked. He leaned his head away from Xellos, his only means of distancing himself from the man. 

Xellos raised his staff above Phibrizo's head. "Ara, ara, that's not a polite way to speak to your elder," he said. He whapped Phibrizo on the head, only snickering at the boy's cry. 

"What the hell did you do that??" Phibrizo demanded. 

Lina merely watched the whole scene with a dumb look on her face. _Sure, I planned to beat the snot out of that kid, but…I never imagined Xellos would…_ she thought. 

"I think you owe Lina-san an apology," Xellos said. He didn't seem to be joking even with the amused expression on his face. "I was sure you'd try to run away before I brought Lina back, so I had to tie you up." 

"Xellos…omae…" Lina wasn't sure if she should be surprised by his meaning behind his methods, or simply be worried about his twisted methods. 

Xellos finally turned to her with a grin that Lina couldn't quite name. It wasn't the "sinister" one, nor was it the one that suggested Xellos was ridiculing her. Since Lina couldn't identify it, she simply frowned back in response. She swore the man could grin in as many ways as there were languages. 

"I'm the only one allowed to trick you, Lina-san," Xellos said. 

Lina stared at him in the same way one would seeing an alien. "Wha…" she sputtered. Her face reddened though she couldn't figure out why. "Stop talking nonsense!" 

Xellos shrugged with the same expression and turned back to Phibrizo. "Now then, your apology," he said. 

"Get real!" Phibrizo said. He looked as though he would spit in Xellos's face. 

"Oh, well," Xellos said as if forgetting the whole matter. He walked over to Lina and picked her up again. "We'll just come back tomorrow and see if you feel like apologizing then. Ja ne!" 

Phibrizo sweat-dropped. "Wa-Wa-Wait!" Xellos walked off as if not hearing him. "I said, 'wait!!'" 

Lina tried no to feel sorry for Phibrizo, but somehow when Xellos did this sort of thing it seemed really wrong. Now if Lina had tied him up to a tree and left him, she wouldn't have had any kind of problem with it. After all, the little brat had left her and Zelgadis in a pit so they could be killed later on. 

"Uh…are you really going to leave him there?" Lina asked when Phibrizo's shouts began to be distant. 

"What's this?" Xellos said, concentrating on his steps rather than stopping to look at Lina. "You want to let that little trickster go free?" 

"No, but…" Lina let out a breath. _I guess he gets what he deserves,_ she thought. _Maybe after I go get Zel later, I'll grab Phibrizo and see if I can get him locked up. Someone might even give me a reward for brining the little brat in._

"Don't worry about it," Xellos said nonchalantly. He looked up. "It's going to be dark soon, so we better quit traveling after we get across the bridge." 

"The bridge?" Lina murmured to herself. "Wait a minute, you got across that bridge by yourself??" 

"Mochiron," Xellos said. "Ah, you must have gone across the _other_ bridge." 

"Other…bridge??" Lina said. She gasped as they reached a bridge that looked newly constructed and was a great deal shorter. "What??" 

"Hmm, well, I saw that poorly made bridge and figured since the gap in the forest narrows as you go east that there was probably a better and safer way across," Xellos explained. "Looks like someone was smart enough to make a better bridge." 

Lina's mouth twitched as she began to laugh at the incredibility of it all. "I don't believe this…" she muttered. "That little brat really was trying to kill us…" 

"Seems that way!" Xellos said cheerfully. 

"You don't seem to be very concerned about that," Lina noted, glaring up at him. 

"No, I'm not," Xellos admitted. He walked across the bridge without a shred of reserve. "It would be disappointing to find out such a small obstacle stopped Lina Inverse." 

"Hmph, you always have a lot of confidence in me," Lina said. She was a bit relieved that they crossed safely over to the other side and Xellos soon came to a stop. 

"If I didn't, I would have just sent out some people to retrieve you," Xellos said, resting her on the ground. He removed the bag from his back. "Demo what would be the fun in that?" 

Lina rolled her eyes. "Yeah…" she said. She quietly watched Xellos make a fire and then sit on the opposite side of her. "You know, Xellos, leaving Zelgadis in that pit could be considered indirect murder." 

"Lina-san," Xellos said, peering at her over the fire, "I think we've both done things that could ultimately keep us in jail a long time, ne?" 

Lina swallowed for two reasons. One, Xellos was right about what he said and two, the shadows caused by the fire were dancing about his face and making him look like some kind of demon. Lina then realized that she was seriously uncomfortable around Xellos, especially with her injury. And, of course, Xellos sitting there staring straight at her as if he needed to keep track of her every move added to her discomfort. 

_Oh, man…_ Lina thought. _I need to get away from Xellos now. I don't think I can possibly wait until my leg gets fixed up. Besides, there's no guarantee that Zelgadis will be alive by the time tomorrow comes around. He could be dead right now and if that's so…_

A scream pervaded from the silent forest and Lina turned her head back. Though the person screaming wasn't very close, Lina recognized the voice to be Phibrizo's. She looked back at Xellos and wasn't too surprised to see that his expression hadn't changed. He acted as if he didn't hear anything. 

"Xellos, don't act like you didn't hear that," Lina said. 

"What are you talking about, Lina-san?" Xellos asked. He turned his head and cupped his hand around his ear. "All I hear is your lovely voice." 

"Xellos…" Lina hissed. She held up her hands like claws, desiring to wring his neck. "You're lucky I can't stand up right now." 

Xellos turned back to Lina and waved his hand. "There you go getting worked up again," he said. "Why don't you just rest for a bit and then we can worry about other things later." 

"No!" Lina exclaimed. She managed to keep herself from trying to jump to her feet. "Listen, Xellos, I heard Phibrizo screaming out there which means that Zelgadis is definitely in trouble! I can't just sit here and do nothing! Anyways, aren't you afraid that if we stay here we'll be in danger??" 

"Iie," Xellos said. He yawned and then leaned back some. "The Houshu clearly mark their territory as any grounds beyond the ravine. That's why the town's able to prosper because they respect the Houshu's grounds, for the most part." 

"How would you know this??" 

Xellos yawned again. "Lina-san, I'm not as impetuous as you are," he said. He smiled and shook his head when she looked angry. "Not that I'm saying that's a bad thing. It's just part of your charm. Personally, I like to make sure when I set off on a task that I have as much information about what's in store for me before I begin to do it." 

"Or in other words, you have eyes and ears everywhere." Lina folded her arms across her chest. 

"I guess you could put it that way, yes." Xellos began rubbing the back of his head as he did when he was trying to act modest. "Lina-san, if I was as half as powerful as you think I am, all I'd have to do is snap my fingers and I'd have you." 

"Hmph, even though I think you're exactly as powerful as I imagine, there's no one powerful enough to get me so easily." 

"Really?" Xellos said. He held up a finger. "It seems to me that Phibrizo easily got you exactly where he wanted you to be." 

"That's because he pretended to be a cute little kid!" Lina said. Then her face dropped a little. _Of course, I never trusted him in the first place, so I have no clue why I allowed myself to be fooled by him…_ she thought. She sweat-dropped and shook her head. 

"No one's perfect," Xellos said. "That's why it's taken me this long to retrieve you." 

"Now just wait a minute," Lina said, noticing that she had been distracted about saving Zelgadis and had forgotten about Phibrizo's screams a little while ago. "We need to find Zelgadis! He could be in trouble!" 

"Or he could be just fine," Xellos said. "Zelgadis-san doesn't seem like the type that would be defeated so easily." 

"Sure, maybe against some petty thugs, but we're dealing with a dangerous tribe here," Lina said. She slammed her hand on the ground. "Xellos! I can't sit here and act like Zelgadis doesn't exist anymore! We have to help him!" 

Xellos was silent for a moment and Lina thought for a second she had gotten through to him. Xellos sat up straight and slowly his grin began to curve into its sinister quality. He folded his hands into his lap and cracked open his usually shut eyes. If Lina had thought he had looked devilish before, it didn't compare to how he looked now with the fire reflecting in his purple irises. Lina wasn't too big on religion, but somehow she figured if she ended up in hell, the devil would bear a striking resemblance to Xellos. 

"Lina-san," Xellos said in as grave a voice as one about to inform someone he or she had an hour to live, "I've been wondering for a long time about your relationship with Zelgadis-san." 

"Our relation…" Lina stopped for a second, wondering why she was so nervous. She guessed it was the way Xellos looked and sounded. "What are you talking about, Xellos? There's nothing to wonder about us two. We're just friends, plain and simple." 

"Hmph." Though Lina was relieved Xellos turned his head at that moment, preventing him from staring directly at her, she was a bit concerned by his action that Lina guessed meant he was annoyed. Lina had yet to see him annoyed previously. "Friends… I asked Rezo-san about that after I met you two for the first time. I must say I was impressed by the way you two worked so well together that I thought there might be some truth in what Zelgadis-san had said." 

"What…Zelgadis said?" 

"Aa. I think the reason he doesn't become Rezo-san's heir is because he wouldn't be able to travel around with you as he pleases." 

Lina put a hand to the side of her face. _First Zelgadis saying that weird thing about Xellos liking me and now Xellos is trying to imply Zelgadis and I have a thing going on,_ she thought. _Mou! Where do they get these weird ideas from??_

"Xellos, as usual, you're talking nonsense," Lina finally said. "I've known Zelgadis long enough to know that he wants nothing to do with Rezo and that definitely includes being his heir. Do you think Zelgadis would accept money from someone he hates??" 

Xellos was silent which at first Lina thought meant that he was thinking about she had said. However, when he looked back at her with the same evil grin and eyes closed back, she seriously doubted that she had convinced him. Had he not appeared so ominous, she might have taken the time to think about why he needed to be convinced in the first place. 

"Lina-san, you might be a bit naïve," Xellos said. He unfolded his hands and tapped a finger on his chin. "Sometimes it's hard to draw the line between friendship and--" 

"Oi!" Lina scooted forward, ignoring the pain in doing so. "Zelgadis is my best friend! Of course, I'd do almost anything for the person who would stick with me through all this mess! I owe him more than enough to take the time to see if he's all right!" 

Xellos laughed in exactly the way that made Lina angry enough to shoot fire at him. "Sou ka (I see)," he said when he stopped laughing. "Well, Lina-san, it's nice that you claim you will do almost anything for him, but I have no intention of letting you risk your life to save someone I consider a hindrance." 

A bead of sweat began to roll down the side of Lina's head. "So, I'm right about you wanting to get rid of Zelgadis," she said. It wasn't as if it was a secret, but Xellos had never confirmed it. 

"Lina-san," Xellos said, slowly opening a little his rarely seen eyes, "I have a strict policy when it comes to obstacles: eliminate them at all costs." 

_Obviously the first time we met, Zelgadis and I weren't an obstacle to him,_ Lina thought, holding onto her arms to prevent herself from shaking. _Xellos is really creepy! He makes Rezo look like a puppy dog!_

"Xe-Xe-Xellos," Lina said. She wished that she didn't feel so nervous. "I'm sure if we save Zelgadis, he'll be too happy that he's alive to worry about me going back to Hadin with you." 

Xellos's eyes closed again. "Iie, that's where you're wrong," he said. "I'm sure that Zelgadis-san would be more inclined to help you after you helped him." 

Lina frowned, able to express her annoyance again with Xellos looking less frightening. _Damnit,_ she thought. _Xellos is right, but I have to persuade him to do what I want!_

"Heh, do you have that little confidence in yourself?" Lina said. She tossed her hair and smirked. "Is the Mysterious Millionaire afraid of one little risk?" 

"Ara, ara, Lina-san," Xellos said. He seemed amused by her words instead of bothered as Lina had wanted. "Tactics like that won't work on me. After all, I'm an expert at manipulating people." 

"You don't need to tell me that," Lina said under her breath. "Well, then I guess I'll go to plan B: asking you earnestly. Please…Xellos… I'd never forgive myself if Zelgadis died because of me. It would haunt me forever." 

"You said before that you'd do almost anything for Zelgadis-san, ne?" Xellos's tone had an obvious underhanded air to it that Lina didn't miss. 

"Ha…hai…" 

"Well, then," Xellos said, standing up, "let's see if you're serious about that." 

Lina instinctively balled up her fists as if Xellos was planning to attack her. "What are you…you talking about?" she said. She forced herself to scowl at him as Xellos walked next to her. "Xellos?" 

Xellos squatted down next to her so quickly that Lina couldn't help but jump in surprise. She looked at his falsely smiling face and gradually lifted her fists in front of her face. Xellos had a habit of getting too close to her. Maybe it was the fact he enjoyed seeing her uncomfortable, or maybe he just didn't know the concept of personal space. Whatever it was, Lina liked Xellos to keep a twenty-foot distance from her. 

"I make you uncomfortable, ne, Lina-san?" Xellos asked, voice growing softer. 

Lina pretended to be amused by that comment. "Wha…what?" she laughed. "Xellos, I have no reason to be uncomfortable around you." _Which is true,_ Lina thought. _Why does he make me so nervous when I know I could beat the crap out of him?_

Xellos snickered and nodded. "Yes, I guess you're right," he said, "demo I know for sure that I'm not exactly your favorite person." 

"Not even close." Lina stared at him with narrowed eyes as if she could use her willpower to force him away. 

"That's what I'll use to test your determination to save your friend," Xellos said. "If you pass the test, I'll agree to help you find Zelgadis-san." 

_Oh, I'm gonna regretting asking this, I know it,_ Lina thought. "What's the test?" she asked. She couldn't hide her discomfort when Xellos took hold of her chin with his hand. "What the…" 

"Since you don't really like me, Lina-san," Xellos said too nonchalant for Lina to believe he really thought as he said, "if you want me to help you, then allow me to kiss you." 

"Ki…!" Lina wouldn't be surprised if her head exploded in surprise and humiliation. She punched Xellos's hand away and tried to crawl after him when he started to move back. "I don't care if I can't use my leg--I'm going to beat you so badly that'll hurt for you to think!!" 

"Lina-san, don't get so angry!" Xellos said. He grabbed her arms and held her in place to prevent her from crawling anymore. "If you keep moving around like that, you're going to hurt yourself worse." 

"I'm gonna hurt you a thousand times worse than I'm hurting now!" Lina said, struggling with him. "You think you can take advantage of me like this??" 

"I took the time to think of several things that you would hate to do," Xellos said, having no trouble keeping his grip on Lina. He just couldn't keep her still. "Then I took the time to think of which of those things I'd like for you to do the most. The kiss seemed the most intriguing." 

"That's never gonna happen!" Lina said. At this point she didn't care that her entire face was red. 

"I expected as much," Xellos said. He chuckled and released her hands, surprising Lina. "You are aware, Lina-san, that my true intention is to leave Zelgadis-san exactly where he is. I have no desire to travel in this dark forest to see if he's alive or not. All I wanted was to get you back and I have." 

"Xe…Xellos…" Lina said. She watched him stand up and smile contently. 

"Why don't we get some rest, Lina-san?" Xellos suggested. "In the morning we can go into town and get your leg checked out before we head back to Hadin." 

"No!" Lina said. She dreaded the name "Hadin" as much as she dreaded Xellos's name. "Zelgadis is still--" 

"Hmm, I didn't pack any blankets," Xellos said as if Lina weren't speaking. He sat down next to his bag and started looking through it. "I expected to get out of this forest well before it was dark… Oh, well. I should have accounted for any mishaps that would happen along the way." 

"Xellos! Don't ignore me!" 

Xellos pulled out a canteen of water. "Lina-san, I have some water, would you like some?" he asked. He held it up as if he didn't notice her unpleasant expression. "It's still pretty cold." 

"Xellos!!" Lina couldn't believe he still ignored her and took a drink out of the canteen and then started digging through his bag again. _What the hell am I gonna do?_ Lina wondered. _Xellos wants Zelgadis to die…so he purposely gave me that ridiculous condition in order to gain his help. Now he won't even listen to me any more and I can't run from him. Okay, Lina, which is more important: saving Zel or saving your dignity?_

"Lina-san, I'm sorry I don't have anything for you to lie down on," Xellos said, closing his bag. "I can give you permission to use me as a pillow, though." He laughed as if he meant it as a joke, but Lina knew he wasn't kidding. 

Lina sweat-dropped and forced herself to ignore Xellos until she thought out things. _Is degrading myself worth saving Zel?_ she thought. Then she laughed to herself. _Okay, maybe that's stupid to even think--of course, Zelgadis is worth doing something like that. Even if it makes me sick to my stomach… Demo if I don't do anything Zel will probably die and I will be stuck with Xellos for a whole year! Zelgadis is the only one willing and capable of helping me escape that fate and I'll be doomed to it if I let him die! All right, sacrifices will have to be made._

"…in the morning," Xellos was saying. "Demo we could wait until--" 

"I'll do it," Lina said. She frowned when Xellos made a face as if he was confused. "I'll let you kiss me, but if you don't keep your part of the bargain, I swear you will not live to take me back to Hadin." 

Xellos looked extremely pleased. "Lina-san, I wouldn't try to double-cross you," he said. "This is a person's life we're talking about here." 

"Don't try to act concerned now," Lina said as he moved back over to her. She let her frustration force away her tension. Lina hadn't ever been kissed by anyone before, or had the desire to let someone do so. Somehow she thought Xellos being the one to give her her first kiss was some kind of punishment for her past crimes. 

"Zelgadis-san means this much to you, hmm?" Xellos asked. He laughed when she bared her teeth. 

"I simply decided," Lina said between her teeth, "that kissing you to save my friend was no big deal. After all, I've done several things that were worse." 

"Sou desu ne (That's true)," Xellos agreed. "Like that house you caused to burn down or that wanted criminal that you helped--" 

"Are you going to kiss me or list my past crimes??" Lina said, only blushing after she had heard herself say that. She made a face when Xellos leaned close to her face. 

"Are you sure you want to do this? We could wait to see if Zelgadis-san shows up tomorrow." 

_I really don't like him,_ she thought, shaking her head in response. _I know he's only asking to me it harder for me._

Xellos shrugged and placed his hands on Lina's cheeks. Lina felt herself panicking unlike she had since she broke her sister's rare egg. She wanted desperately to scream as Xellos drew his face closer to hers, but she managed to control herself. Lina finally closed her eyes at the last minute and tried to picture something other than Xellos kissing her. She managed to focus on the image of her dancing in a shower of gold coins raining from the sky. Of course, when she felt warmth against her lips for what seemed like several minutes, the image died away and she began screaming. Lina began swinging her hand back and forth in front of her for defense until she realized that she wasn't making contact with anything. Slowly she opened her eyes and saw Xellos sitting two feet from her with a curious look on his face. 

"Uh…" Lina said, slowly dropping her hand. Her face grew hot which was not needed to tell her that her face was red. 

"Lina-san, you're really acting strangely," Xellos commented. "Was it that bad?" 

"How did you move so fast??" Lina demanded. 

"What are you talking about?" Xellos said. He pretended to be embarrassed. "I simply brushed my lips against yours for about two seconds. I wasn't really going to kiss you--I just wanted to see if you'd go that far. So, when I was finished I just backed away and after you stood there like a volcano about to erupt, you started screaming and hitting the air. Do you act like that every time someone kisses you?" 

Lina knew her face was bright enough to blind someone. "Xellos…you are a dead man…" she said. "You…you…!!" 

Xellos crawled back over to his bag and pulled a lantern from it. "We'll need this if we're going to travel in the dark," he said. He tilted his head at Lina when he noticed she was still fuming. "Lina-san? Didn't you want to find Zelgadis-san?" 

Lina shook with anger. "Right," she said, smiling like a madman. _Somehow, I'm gonna make him pay for that "kiss,"_ she thought. _But first thing's first. Zel needs my help now and then Xellos will be begging someone to help him…_   
  
*******   
  


Lina had been given the lantern to hold while Xellos handled finding their way through the forest again. Since Xellos was mostly concerned with where he was going, he didn't pay too much attention to what Lina was doing while he held her. Lina almost thought to ask Xellos if carrying her around was cumbersome, but he moved as though he weren't carrying her at all. She wanted to focus completely on finding Zelgadis and finding him in one piece, but she couldn't forget about what had happened not too long ago. Yes, Lina had heard from Xellos that he had only lightly touched his lips with hers, but it seemed to her that the kiss had been much longer. She could have sworn it had taken at least a minute and would argue the matter directly to Xellos if his explanation didn't make more sense. If it had happened as he said, then it made sense that when Lina opened her eyes again that she was hitting nothing but air. If the kiss had been as long as Lina imagined it, Xellos would have surely gotten smacked in the face at least once. Still, Lina couldn't just dismiss the whole kissing thing. She found herself touching her lips on several occasions during their trip and fighting off blushing. When Lina eventually allowed herself to come to the conclusion that letting Xellos kiss her wasn't that bad, she noticed that she recognized a little of the forest. 

"Xellos, are we near the pit?" Lina asked. She hadn't paid much attention before to where Xellos had been walking. 

"Yes, it should be right about here," Xellos said, stopping near the hole in the ground. "It's good you finally said something. I was beginning to think that you wouldn't ever say anything, Lina-san." 

"Huh?" Lina looked up at his smiling face. 

"Well, I thought you were giving me the silent treatment for forcing you to kiss me." Lina was sure he meant to sound as though he felt guilty for it, but his chuckle revealed his true feelings. 

"I have something else in mind to pay you back for that," Lina muttered. She held up the lantern so the light would shine into the pit. "Zel?" 

The light showed that the pit was empty except for the bags Lina and Zelgadis were carrying before. "It seems as though he escaped." 

"Maybe…" Lina admitted. She supposed she could have a little faith in him. However, she shined the lantern around the edge of the pit and noticed many bare footprints had been made. Since she knew that it was unlikely Zelgadis would have decided to travel without shoes, it was a good guess that the Houshu had been around. 

"Xellos! Zelgadis has been--" 

"I know. Look ahead." 

"Huh?" Lina looked in the distance and saw smoke rising in the air, despite the darkness of the forest. "You think Zelgadis will be there?" 

"If he hasn't been killed already." A scream pierced though the silence of the forest and Xellos began walking again. "Hmm, maybe that's him now." 

"Xellos, I know this may be difficult while carrying me, but please move as fast as you can toward that smoke!!" Lina said. 

"You're the boss." Xellos sped up into a running pace, tightening his grip on Lina. "Is this fast enough, Lina-san?" 

Lina was doing her best not to drop the lantern that continued to swing as Xellos ran. "Ha…Hai…" she said. She didn't imagine Xellos would run as fast as he was going. 

The screaming became more distinct as they neared the source of the smoke. The smoke was coming from a village that obviously belonged to the Houshu. Chanting and the crackling of a fire burning could also be heard as they drew nearer. Xellos stopped just short of the village and hid himself and Lina in a bush so they could see what was going on. Lina knew between her and Xellos, only she was appalled at the sight. 

"Ph…Phibrizo is…is…" Lina said in disbelief. 

Xellos looked on as if he was seeing something quite ordinary. "It seems the rumor about the Houshu burning intruders is true," he said. 

Lina was too horrified to worry about how calm Xellos was about everything. The Houshu were dancing and chanting as they burned Phibrizo tied to a stake. Beside him was Zelgadis tied up on a similar stake, yet the wood around his feet hadn't been set aflame. As much as Lina didn't like that Phibrizo fooled her and left her and Zelgadis to die, she wouldn't have wanted to see the little boy burn (at least not outside her dreams). Lina would have preferred to beat the living daylights out of him and send him to prison; killing him (however tempting) was too extreme. Hearing his screams mixed with the strange chanting of the Houshu didn't help Lina feel much better. To make matters worse, she noticed that Zelgadis was unconscious and seemed as though he had been beaten to that state. His sword was laid with the pile of wood about his feet. 

"Xellos! We gotta save Zel!" Lina said, grabbing his arm. Phibrizo's screams were dying out as he was consumed by the flames around him. "We can't let him end up like Phibrizo!" 

Xellos pretended to be confused. "We can't?" 

"Xellos!! Don't play around with me, damnit!! This is serious!!" 

Xellos slipped on his sinister smile easily. "Hai, Lina-san." 

"Grr…" Lina put a hand to her head and looked back to Zelgadis, her anger melting into concern again. "I don't have a clue how to help him, though. If I could stand and fight off these guys, it would be a different story…" 

"Leave it to me, Lina-san," Xellos said, rising. By the time he had done so, there was nothing left of Phibrizo but ash. 

"Xellos, what are you going to do??" Lina asked, watching the Houshu begin to bring fire over to Zelgadis's woodpile. 

"Trust me," Xellos said. He began to walk up into the village. 

Lina balled up her fists and scowled. "That's one thing I can never do," she muttered, watching Xellos's every step. 

Xellos casually walked into the Houshu's view, immediately stopping their proceedings. Instantly the millionaire was surrounded by a ground of angry natives displaying spears and bows and arrows. Xellos stood calmly and held up his hands in a non-threatening gesture. Lina cursed, thinking that Xellos was merely acting crazy and wouldn't do anything to help Zelgadis. Now she had to think of a way to save Xellos too. 

"What an idiot," Lina muttered. She put a hand on her face and drew in a breath. "Okay, so Xellos is of no help…" 

"Ippa shana la kora," Lina heard Xellos say. She blinked and heard the Houshu gasp. 

"What the hell is he saying??" she said. 

While the Houshu surrounding Xellos were murmuring to themselves, a Houshu with a great feathered headband approached the circle. He said some of the same strange words Xellos had spoken and in return Xellos said additional words to the Houshu. Lina's jaw could have easily stretched all the way down to the ground. 

"Bakana (Impossible)!" Lina said, unable to believe that Xellos and the other Houshu were communicating with each other. "Xellos… Is there anything you're not capable of??" 

Xellos continued to talk with the Houshu and pointed to the bush where Lina was hiding. Lina tried to conceal herself better into the leaves when all the Houshu seemed to look in her direction. The Houshu Xellos was speaking to nodded and then made a gesture toward Lina's hiding place. The Houshu that had surrounded Xellos were now advancing toward Lina. 

"Shi…Shimatta (Cr…crap)!" Lina said. She let go of the lantern and began looking around for a stick or something she could use as a weapon. 

Xellos smirked to himself as he watched the Houshu capture Lina with little problem. Lina, of course, was screaming and fighting to get loose, but there were too many of them for her to handle in her current state. Xellos laughed while they carried her into the village and then Xellos spoke to the same Houshu again. Xellos pointed at Zelgadis and the Houshu nodded before following the crowd of his people take Lina further into the village. 

"Xellos!! What the hell are you doing??" Lina screeched. 

"Daijoubu (It's all right), Lina-san!" Xellos called after her. "They won't hurt you!" He smiled when Lina had completely disappeared with the rest of the Houshu and turned to Zelgadis. "Well, I suppose I should get you down, ne?" 

Zelgadis lips moved just slightly, indicating he was waking up. "Ara, ara," Xellos said. He grinned, showing his upper row of teeth. "Don't wake up just yet. You might spoil my plans if you do."   
  
*******   
  


"Where are you taking me??" Lina demanded. She cried out as she was carried to some kind of hut and dropped on the floor of the place. There was a group of women inside and the male Houshu that had brought her there said something to them before they left. 

"Chotto (Hold it)!" Lina called after them as they shut the door. "Don't leave me in here!!" Lina, realizing it was pointless drew her attention upon the female Houshu she had been left with. "Why was I brought here?" 

One of the women said something to Lina, but since it was like gibberish to her, Lina had no choice but to ignore it. However, Lina didn't ignore when the group of the women began to approach her. In her book, Houshu were Houshu. She knew that even the women were probably dangerous. Though it hurt Lina considerably, she began scooting across the floor of the hut in an attempt to escape from them. 

"Stay away from me!" Lina said. Her back pressed up against a wall and she wildly reached for something to protect her. Her hand grabbed something like a pole and Lina began to swing. "I said stay back!!" 

Lina realized as she hit one of the Houshu in the face that her weapon was a broom and unsurprisingly, a very weak broom at that. The next woman she tried to hit blocked her swing and in the process broke the broom in half. Lina growled and threw the half that remained at them. That was a useless action, which resulted only in the majority of the woman grabbing Lina. Without the strength of her legs to add to her pushing force, Lina couldn't keep the Houshu off her. She let several frustrated screams but in the end, Lina was restricted in almost all movement. 

"Onore…" Lina said, growling like a caged wild animal. She was only perturbed at her helplessness until one of the Houshu not holding her down began to remove her pants. That action made Lina outraged. "Oi! What the hell are you doing?? Cut that out!!" 

The Houshu taking off her pants said something to another Houshu standing beside her. The other woman nodded and went to grab a bowl. Lina would have paid more attention to what this woman was doing except she was too busy trying to get herself enough freedom to knock out the Houshu undressing her. Lina even considered biting one of them, if possible, but the Houshu women were pretty strong, or at least they were in a group. The Houshu with the bowl came up to Lina and put the bowl to her lips, trying to make her drink. 

"What the he--" Lina foolishly allowed her mouth to be open and for the Houshu woman to easily pour whatever was in the bowl into her mouth. As much as Lina fought not to drink, most of the liquid went down her throat. 

When all of the liquid was either on Lina's shirt or in her mouth, the Houshu woman withdrew the empty bowl. Lina spat the amount she had managed to resist drinking and coughed repeatedly. She wasn't sure what the drink was, but it definitely had a taste of plants and roots. 

"You…You…" Lina was ready to curse out all the Houshu women, but she felt herself becoming numb all over. "Na…ni…" Suddenly Lina felt a great desire to sleep and a lack of power to fight it. Her vision began to blur and fade as she mouthed a curse and everything went black.   
  
*******   
  


"Hmm…" Xellos said, poking his head from behind a group of trees near the shrine in the Houshu village. "I guess this is it." He saw about ten Houshu guarding the stairs that led up onto the platform where the Houshu's treasure lied. 

Xellos smiled to himself and thought of how well things had been going for him. He hadn't imagined he would have been able to isolate the majority of the Houshu, allowing him to find their little shrine. Xellos noticed that they seemed to be building a fire again, but at the moment that was of no concern for him. He stared at the stationary guards for a minute or two before looking at Zelgadis. Xellos was holding him by the collar and had been dragging him in the same manner. 

"Time for you to become useful to me," Xellos said. He smirked and tossed Zelgadis into the clearing in front of the shrine. 

The Houshu guards immediately left their posts and surrounded the unconscious Zelgadis. A few of them poked him with their spears and spoke to each other about him being an intruder (according to Xellos's translation). One, obviously the leader of the guards, gave the order for the rest to search the surrounding areas for anyone else, while two stayed behind to detain Zelgadis (which was no difficult task). Xellos meanwhile, did a good job of hiding himself until the Houshu had passed by him into the rest of the forest. When he was sure the others were gone, he quietly and quickly slipped behind the two facing the direction where the other guards had gone. Xellos tiptoed up the stairs, making sure that the two guards kept their backs to him. He laughed quietly as he reached the platform and approached a pedestal in the middle of a pit of flame. On the pedestal was a red jewel that was shaped similar to the flames surrounding it. Xellos had to admit he was a bit impressed by the adornments the Houshu had made for their treasure, but he wasn't discouraged from collecting it. 

"Guess I just have to be even more tricky," Xellos said. He glanced behind him again to make sure he hadn't been detected yet. The two guards were busy shaking Zelgadis and speaking to him as if he could hear or comprehend what they were saying. "Isn't that funny?" 

Xellos faced front again and went into the bag on his back without taking it off. He pulled out the rope and made it into a lasso. With a swift motion he threw the loop over the jewel and delicately pulled the rope to tighten it around the jewel. Finally he jerked the rope back toward himself with enough speed that the jewel wouldn't risk falling into the fire. The rope was singed in the process, but was still good enough to use again. Xellos released the jewel from the rope, placed it and the rope into his bag, and then pulled out an object that looked very similar to the jewel he had just placed in the bag. He took the object and carefully tossed it onto the pedestal. Just as it landed he heard a shout in the Houshu's language that there was an intruder on the shrine. Xellos whirled around and put a hand to his face. 

"Oya, I've been caught," Xellos said. He took his staff from his waist again and walked casually down the stairs. 

The two guards positioned their spears and charged toward Xellos, leaving Zelgadis lying on the ground behind them. Xellos stopped when he descended the last step and patiently waited for the two guards' attack. He needed only one hand grasping his staff when he knocked both the spears out of the charging Houshu's hands and in two swift motions also rammed the sphere atop of his staff into both guards' middles. When the Houshu fell to the ground unconscious, Xellos estimated the whole thing took about a minute. He shrugged and placed his staff back where he had it. Xellos began on his way, glancing at Zelgadis outstretched on the ground. 

"Hmm…I guess there's no need to carry him around any more," Xellos said. "As expected, his usefulness to me has ran out." 

Zelgadis could swear he heard some infuriating laughter in the distance as he began to wake up. When he came to, he saw no one around except for two unconscious Houshu. Of course he was confused about the whole thing, but Zelgadis didn't take the time to stick around and wonder why he was where he was. His first instinct was to find his sword or a temporary replacement before he ran into some conscious Houshu. With that in mind, Zelgadis got to his feet and began to look for the possible places his sword could be.   
  
*******   
  


Lina was blissfully unaware of what was happening to her as two Houshu males dragged her to the center of the village. The drink Lina had been forced to consume was still affecting her, so there had been no problem with the Houshu women removing Lina's clothes and putting her into the white ceremonial robe. The whole Houshu community, excluding the guards who were assigned to protect their shrine, were gathered around a great pit. A fire was burning brightly below and the Houshu with the grand headband, the chief of the Houshu, was adding the last of the sacred powder into the fire when the two Houshu brought Lina. The chief stood at the edge across from where Lina was being held and began to say a prayer to their gods. At regular intervals he silenced and the rest of the Houshu recited something. This continued for about an hour. Finally the chief concluded his oration and bowed down next to the pit of fire. 

The two Houshu with Lina lifted her above the ground, each holding one of her arms. Just as they were about to move Lina into the pit, several of the spectator Houshu gasped and screamed. The two Houshu stopped and the chief rose from his position. The chief asked for an explanation and noticed that a great deal of the village was burning. He began shouting for his people to attend to this problem and took off himself in order to help with the fires. Most of the Houshu left the pit area, leaving those around the pit to be mostly women and children. The two that were holding Lina continued to do so, anticipating that the ceremony would continue once the fires were put out. 

"Lina!" Zelgadis said, running into the area with his sword in hand. He scowled when he noticed that the two Houshu still hadn't let Lina go. "Kuso…I guess I have no choice." 

The two Houshu finally rested Lina on the ground next to the pit and grabbed their nearby spears. They glared at Zelgadis and said what Zelgadis interpreted to be some kind of insult in Houshu language. Zelgadis advanced no further and waited for the Houshu to approach him. He assumed the others wouldn't bother him, being too busy with taking care of the fires he had started. 

"Come on…" Zelgadis urged, tightening his grip on his sword. "I intend to get some payback for the beating you savages gave me!" 

Zelgadis eagerly took on both of the Houshu, only having a little difficulty keeping himself from getting slashed or gouged. Despite his previous unconsciousness he was moving as though he had never been out. He guessed it was the repeated fights he had gotten himself into because of Lina; his stamina must have built itself up in the years of traveling. The Houshu weren't backing down, even though Zelgadis had gotten at least one cut upon both of them. Zelgadis had yet to break or knock away their spears, which was his first goal in the fight. The Houshu were pretty good at blocking his attacks, but not perfect at it. 

"Just wait, Lina," Zelgadis said, eyeing her as he jumped back from blocking the two's attack. His eyes narrowed as he heard the same laughter he had heard when he was coming back to consciousness. 

"My, it sure is getting dangerous around here," a familiar voice said. 

"Xellos!" Zelgadis said, dodging a spear targeted at his leg. He saw the named person approach Lina. 

"Wish I had the time to chat, Zelgadis-san, but you know how late it is!" Xellos said. He took Lina and placed her over his shoulder. "Ja ne!" 

"Matte!!" Zelgadis said. At the moment he was powerless to chase after the retreating Xellos. "Kuso!!" 

Xellos managed to exit the village without being in the way of the fires, nor running into any of the frantic Houshu. He lacked his lantern, Lina having left it in the bushes, but he was doing a good job of running in the darkness. Xellos laughed to himself as he ran, imagining how furious Zelgadis had to be. 

"What an interesting and fulfilling night," Xellos said. He began humming happily to himself as he went deeper in the forest. 

About ten minutes of running, Xellos's good mood faded away. He had the distinct feeling he was being followed and his first guess was that it was some of the shrine guards that had figured out his little fake crystal he had left in place of the real jewel. However, Xellos didn't take the time to turn back and see. He simply sped up. His pursuer, annoyingly kept up with him. 

"You're not getting away, Xellos!!" 

Xellos's eyes opened halfway. "Hmph, he's better than I give him credit for…" he muttered. He glanced over the shoulder that he didn't have Lina on it and saw Zelgadis's dark figure trailing behind him. 

"Matte!!" Zelgadis was breathing heavily, but he wasn't going to let that stop him anytime soon. Not only was he not going to allow Xellos to take Lina away, but he wasn't going to let Xellos run off before he paid him back for leaving him in the pit. 

"Gomen nasai (I'm sorry), Zelgadis-san!" Xellos called back, smiling as usual with eyes closed again. "I'm afraid this time I can't allow you to have my precious Lina-san!" 

"Your??" Zelgadis repeated. He growled and imagined taking off Xellos's head. "Onore…" 

"He's being annoyingly persistent," Xellos said to himself. 

Lina, being bobbed continuously up and down, slowly began to wake up. Zelgadis's shouting behind her also contributed to her regaining consciousness. Her eyes opened to see the darkened image of the ground speeding by and Xellos's feet moving back and forth. She frowned and gradually lifted her head and rubbed her eyes. 

"What the hell…" Lina muttered out of Xellos's hearing range. 

Zelgadis noticed Lina's awakening and pushed himself to run even faster. "Lina!" he called to her. 

Lina blinked. "Zel…" she said. She turned her head a little and noticed she was being carried by Xellos in some kind of high-speed chase. That didn't alarm her as much as her noticing that she wasn't wearing her clothes. She was in some weird robe. 

"What is this??" Lina said, opening the front of the robe. She viewed only her bare skin. That was when Lina realized that she was wearing nothing under the robe and to make matters even worse, Xellos's hand was too close to her rear than she would have preferred. 

Lina began to shake while she tried not to lose her cool completely which finally drew the attention of Xellos. "Lina-san?" he said, feeling her vibrations. "Are you awake?" 

_Nope,_ Lina thought, _I can't stop this explosion._

"Ha…na…se (Let…me…go)!!" Lina screamed, taking her elbow and ramming into the back of Xellos's head. 

Xellos let Lina go at the same time he flew forward from Lina's blow. She dropped hard onto the ground next to him flat on his face, but even the pain of falling to the ground as she did didn't calm her down. She began beating Xellos on his back and screeching about what he was doing carrying her in that state. Zelgadis soon caught up to them and tried to catch his breath while Lina hysterically attacked Xellos. 

"Li…na…" Zelgadis said about the same time Lina had dealt with her embarrassment of being carried while dressed in the strange robe. "Daijoubu (Are you okay)?" 

"U…Uhn…" Lina said, turning beet red. Xellos wasn't moving then and Lina guessed she had knocked him unconscious. 

Zelgadis decided to let Lina's beating of Xellos compensate for what he had wanted to do to Xellos. "Why's your face red?" he asked when he was sure Xellos wasn't going to get up any time soon. 

"Because!" Lina said. She covered herself up as if she was naked. "Those damn Houshu took my clothes…" 

"Aa, I know," Zelgadis said. "When I was looking for my sword, I came across an empty hut with your clothes in it which thankfully told me you were in this village before I left. How did you get here?" 

"Um…Zel? Could we just get the hell out of here?" Lina removed one of her hands she had been covering herself with to touch her lips. 

"I guess we should," Zelgadis said. "Are we gonna leave Xellos here?" 

"He done more than enough to both us to deserve to be left here." 

"Right." Zelgadis noticed how embarrassed she looked and bent down beside her. "Do you think you'll have a problem with me carrying you on my back?" 

"I…Iie…not really," Lina said. She managed to crawl and pull herself up onto his back. Her face hadn't returned to its normal shade, but there was nothing she could do about that. 

"Hopefully we can find our way out in this darkness," Zelgadis said. He stood and started off after glancing back at Xellos. "As much as I wish he'd be in trouble leaving him here, I know Xellos will find a way to survive." 

"Don't mention him for a while, please," Lina said. She rested her face into his back and sighed. "Today has been one of the worst days of my life…" 

"At least it isn't as bad as it could be," Zelgadis said. He wished he could go as fast he was previously going, but he was following Xellos before. "You could be on your way back to Hadin right now." 

"Yeah…" Lina found herself smiling for some reason. "Hey, Zel." 

"Nani?" 

"It's ironic; I came to save you, but you ended up saving me." 

"Are you thanking me?" 

"Just pointing out something." Her smile widened when he snorted. "I'm really hungry." 

"are you ever not hungry?" Zelgadis asked. He cringed when Lina smacked him in the back. 

"I can't help the way my body works," Lina said. "I use more energy than most people do." 

"That's one way of explaining your gluttony…" Zelgadis muttered. From that point on Zelgadis had a hard time keeping Lina from assaulting his back and head and keeping her from moving around frantically. Zelgadis found it hard to believe after Lina had been energetically arguing with him through the rest of the walk out of the forest that they had ever been in any kind of trouble that day.   
  


To be continued....   
  


Next Chapter: Zelgadis leaves Lina's side, and later Lina takes the part in a play as the leading lady. How do these events come to be? And just where will Xellos pop up again? Whenever I get that chapter written, I hope this little preview will make you want to read it! Ja ne! ^_^ 


	7. Acting's a Drag

Author's Notes: Oh, my gosh it's been more than two months since I updated! I'm sorry, I've been getting slack. If I ever take that long again, don't hesitate to tell me I need to hurry up. Anyway, this chapter was inspired by Slayers episode 16 (that's where Mr. Rossburg's from) and a little bit from Slayers Next episode 17 (*grins*). It was really more of a chapter for me to see how I would handle a nearly Zelgadis-less chapter, and to get Lina in a certain location... I don't think this chapter is as good as the last one (I meant to do more funny stuff with Xellos and Lina sharing a room, but I didn't), but I hope you enjoy this one anyway! Oh, and I hope you note the pun in the title! ^_^   
  


** Chapter Six: Acting's a Drag **

  
  
  


It had been five days since Lina and Zelgadis had left Trinket, and now they were in a fairly large city, Bravo. Oddly enough, Zelgadis hadn't been able to get Lina to talk about what had happened back in the Houshu Forest or even Trinket at all. She would quickly change the subject and state they just needed to worry about finding a new place to hide. Zelgadis respected her desire for privacy for the meantime, figuring she would open up later, but Lina continued to keep quiet about the whole Houshu incident and seemed to have no intention of ever bringing it up. That began to make Zelgadis frustrated, especially since his curiosity prevented him from separating from Lina. She wasn't aware of it, but he did have somewhere else he needed to be. Luckily, it was near Bravo and it wouldn't take him long to travel there by foot since he hadn't acquired much money after Phibrizo had robbed him. Lina and he had done a few small jobs to get some money for lodging and meals, but it was going to run out in about one day, especially considering how much Lina insisted on eating. 

Watching Lina devour her breakfast as though it were her last, reminded him that their funds would soon be dissolved once again. However, it was really her new disguise she had picked up two towns ago (though Zelgadis was unsure how she obtained the outfit with really no money to spare) that made Zelgadis stare at her with half-lidded eyes. This disguise was more elaborate than her simple blonde wig, which had managed to fool Zelgadis, but hadn't worked at all on Xellos. Zelgadis guessed she was trying to learn from her mistake, but he had a feeling that she hadn't learned from her other mistake--not planning well enough. 

Zelgadis set his cup down on its saucer. "Lina…" he said, having a bit of difficulty addressing her while she was dressed as she was. 

"Hmm?" Lina said, still chewing as she lifted her head farther from her plate. 

"…" Zelgadis was staring at the black wig poking out under the gray cap on her head and the thick bottle-like glasses (which Zelgadis doubted were real) covering her eyes. 

Lina finally swallowed and tilted her head at him. "What is it, Zel?" she asked. 

"I know you don't want Xellos to find you, but did you really have to dress like a man?" Zelgadis said. He believed that no one would be able to tell she was actually a woman. 

"I know, I know," Lina said. She folded her arms over her chest which Zelgadis could swear was flatter than usual. He tried to think it was just the gray suit she was wearing and not what he was really thinking. "It's a real stretch to think someone as feminine as me could pass off as a guy, but I think I can manage." 

"It's barely a stretch…" Zelgadis muttered, reaching for his cup again. His hand shrank back as Lina's knife nearly cut off his finger before the utensil landed next to his saucer. 

"Could you repeat that, Zelgadis?" Lina said, smiling as though he would be in trouble if he did. 

Zelgadis coughed and sweat-dropped, going around the knife to pick up his cup. "So, now that you're in Bravo, how do you propose to get some money this time?" he asked. He wasn't just merely changing the subject for his safety; he wanted to know what Lina would be up to while he was gone. 

"Well…" Lina said, scratching the side of her face while Zelgadis sipped his tea, "um, I don't really have a plan… I was hoping you would think of something." Lina laughed, despite Zelgadis spitting out his tea in disbelief. 

Zelgadis placed his cup down again and then laid his hands on the table. "You don't ever learn do you??" he said. "This is why we didn't even get close to getting that treasure last time! You can't just stroll around and hope that money will fall into your lap!" 

"Now just wait a minute!" Lina said, pointing a finger at him. "That wasn't my fault! If that stupid little brat Phibrizo hadn't gotten in our way, then we would have surely found the treasure!" 

"Sure," Zelgadis said, "and of course, it wouldn't matter that the Houshu would have probably gotten us if Xellos hadn't stopped us first." He noticed that Lina began to back down at the mention of Xellos, and he took the opportunity to try to end the mystery of that night in the forest. "Lina, what happened after Xellos ran off with you?" 

"That's not important," Lina said, waving her hands. "Listen, I'll think of some way to earn money here and then we'll be all set--" 

"Lina, something must have happened with you and Xellos," Zelgadis interrupted. "Usually you would be still complaining about Xellos foiling your plans." 

Lina flushed and tugged on the end of her hat as if trying to cover her face. "I'd really like to forget about all that…" she said. 

Zelgadis frowned. "At least explain how you ended up as what seemed like a sacrifice," he said. 

"…" Lina continued to be reluctant, until she gradually frowned at herself. _Lina, stop acting like a wimp!_ she thought. _This isn't anything that should be getting Lina Inverse down!_

Lina nodded to herself and faced her friend with an expression more like herself. "Well, I managed to convince Xellos to take me to find you," she explained, only lightly showing that she was thinking of the details of that, "and we found out that you weren't where we had left you. We saw some smoke in the distance and followed it, and we saw that the Houshu were burning Phibrizo at a stake and that you were next." 

"Ku…kuso (Sh…shit)," Zelgadis said. "After those savages beat me unconscious, they were going to burn me alive!" 

"Uhn," Lina said. She sighed, thinking it really went downhill after that point. "Anyway, Xellos said he had a way to save you, so against my better judgment I let him handle it. Xellos for some reason knew how to speak Houshu, and I think he told them that in exchange for you, they could have me, or something like that. Before I knew it I was dragged to a hut, undressed, and sedated with some weird concoction the Houshu had forced me to drink. After that I was out until I ended up on Xellos's back in that robe…" 

"Aa (Yeah)," Zelgadis said, realizing it was his turn to fill in some of her blanks. "When I finally woke up, I was somewhere near the back of the village… I'm not sure how I got there, but I'm guessing Xellos left me there for whatever reason. There were some unconscious Houshu in front of me, but I didn't really worry about that and went to look for my sword. Like I've already told you, I found my sword in that hut where I found your clothes and went looking for you. I saw the smoke and headed that way and found all the Houshu gathered around a pit of fire they seemed to be going to throw you in, as some kind of ritual, I assume. I knew I had to distract them, so I saw a small fire under a pot and distributed the fire onto several huts. Once most of the Houshu were gone taking care of the fires, I was prepared to fight off the remaining ones to save you, but Xellos popped up again just as I was fighting and ran off with you since you were unguarded at the time." 

"Sou ka (I see)…" Lina said, putting a hand to her chin. Now she regretted not talking about the incident sooner, realizing there was more mystery than she had thought. "So, what the hell was Xellos doing?? He put me in danger, tossed you somewhere, and then at the last moment came back to retrieve me!" 

Zelgadis smiled, noting that Lina seemed more like herself. "Who knows what that man was doing?" he said. He stood and replaced his sword at his hip. "Next time I see Xellos, though, I'll pay him back for leaving me in that pit." 

"Where are you going, Zel?" Lina asked, picking up her fork again. "I'm not done yet." 

"Warui na (Sorry), Lina," Zelgadis said, starting off. "There's somewhere I have to go." 

"Nani??" Lina stood up, fork still in hand as she watched Zelgadis's retreating back. "You're deserting me??" 

"Hmph," Zelgadis said, stopping for a moment. "I find it hard to believe that Lina Inverse is incapable of handling things on her own." 

Lina reddened and laughed. "Well, um…I thought you were going to stay with me until you got paid," she said. 

"That could take years at the rate we're going," Zelgadis sighed. "Anyway, I have to go see someone by myself, and I'll see you in about a week. You think you can manage for that long?" 

"Who do you think you're talking to here?" Lina said, regaining her boastful nature. "I'll be perfectly fine on my own! See you in seven days!" 

"I just hope in a week you won't be in Hadin…" Zelgadis muttered, continuing on his way. He didn't pause when Lina claimed she had heard his comment. 

"Mou (Geez)…" Lina said after Zelgadis was gone. "Does he think I'm that incapable of avoiding Xellos?? By the time he sees me again, I'll already be removed of the debt I owe Xellos and I'll have his money too." She continued to mutter about her friend as she sat down to continue her breakfast. 

Lina hadn't been eating more than ten minutes before she dropped her fork on the table. _It's that feeling again! _she thought, her head moving around in circles. _This time it can't be…can't be…_

Lina turned to stone as she saw Xellos walking down the street in the direction of the restaurant she dining at. Her table was located outside and in about three minutes, Xellos would be passing her table, unless the people also walking down the street got in his way. Lina quickly snapped herself out of her frozen state and threw some money on the table. She figured that if Xellos had seen Zelgadis or was aware that restaurants would be a good place to find her, she didn't need to risk leaving the restaurant through the same street Xellos was traveling. Lina decided then that she would make a run for it through the alley on the left side of the restaurant. Even though she had confidence that her disguise was enough to fool Xellos, she hadn't counted on testing it so soon. The pure shock of seeing Xellos so soon was what motivated her to run through the alley and onto another street where Xellos was sure not to be. Lina relaxed as walked down the street in the opposite direction Xellos had been traveling on the parallel street. 

_I should be safe until I get out of town,_ Lina thought, passing several carts vendors were displaying along the road. _How the hell does Xellos keep finding me so quickly?? Does he have some kind of tracking device on me??_

"Ah, good sir!" some vendor said, stopping Lina on her way. He held up some of the clothes he was selling. "A man like yourself cannot afford to pass by such fine clothing!" 

"Huh?" Lina turned to the vendor, giving him a look that suggested that she had momentarily forgotten that she wasn't dressed like a woman. 

"I assure you these are the finest in men's clothing," the man said, smiling with no acknowledgement of Lina's irritation. "If you wear these, you will have women flocking at your feet, sir." 

Lina's balled up fists began to shake. "Who the hell would want that??" she demanded. When the man started to look confused, Lina drew one of her fists near the man's face. "Do I look like a man to you??" 

The man swallowed and nodded. "You…aren't…a man?" 

"Of course, I'm--!" Lina froze as she finally remembered her disguise. She laughed sheepishly, waving her hands. "Of-Of course, I'm a man! I was just joking! Joking!" 

The vendor laughed uncertainly with Lina, though he didn't find her to be funny. "So…would you like to browse my wares?" he asked carefully. 

"Sure!" Lina said, still laughing a little. She blushed, noticing that she was getting several stares from people in the area. "I am a _man_, after all!" 

Lina pretended to be interested in the clothing just long enough for the nearby people to move on or forget that she had acted so strangely. It had taken her a while to figure out a way to convince the vendor that she wasn't really interested after taking such a long time to look at his goods, but Lina had gotten the desired effect she had wanted. She sighed and continued on her way, soon finding herself in some kind of plaza where several people were doing street performing. There was a rather large crowd in the way watching the spectacle, so Lina had to do a great deal of maneuvering to get by. Lina also had a hard time not paying attention to the activity on the plaza. It seemed that the performers were doing some sort of play where they were doing a very realistic fight scene. If Lina didn't know better should would have thought they were really fighting, if not for their obvious costumes and evidently practiced dialogue. She watched for a moment, amused by the outcome of the fight, and finally left the plaza, turning onto another street with mostly houses on either side. 

Lina put her hands behind her capped head and felt relieved of her previous anxiety about Xellos, believing by now she had probably given him the slip. She wasn't sure how big Bravo was or which roads led to where, but her instinct told her that if she continued in the same direction she would eventually find her way out of the city. She was a little disappointed that she hadn't gotten a chance to make any money in Bravo, but there were definitely other cities with opportunities. As long as Lina made sure that Xellos didn't follow her trail out of Bravo, she would bide herself more time to earn some money. However, Lina's optimistic thoughts soon ceased as she reached a dead end at the end of the street. She now stood before a large house, surrounded on both sides by houses of equal size. Lina let out a breath, put her hands on her hips, and turned back around. She guessed that she would have to take a different street connected to the plaza. With that in mind, Lina headed back to the plaza planning to take the road east of the one she had just been down. 

The performers were still heavily in their play, and the crowd was still flooded about the plaza. Lina began pushing her way through again to reach her destination, having about the same difficulty as before. Just as she was nearing her desired street she heard several applauses for the street performers and people's random comments about the play. Lina wasn't really listening to any of it, but one voice stood out that she couldn't possibly ignore. 

"Subarashii (Wonderful)! What a wonderful performance!" 

"Ma…Masaka (No…No way)…" Lina muttered, pushing a few people out of the way so she could see across the plaza. She swallowed, not missing who the owner of the previous comment had been. "Xe…Xellos!" 

Lina saw that Xellos was on the move, now that he had finished applauding, signaling that she needed to hurry up and take the path she had decided whether she liked it or not. Lina wasn't fortunate enough to enter a lightly filled street; this one seemed to be a main street of some sort and was littered with people coming and going. It was good that there were plenty of people for Lina to duck behind, but it was terrible for her mobility. Lina had a sixth sense that Xellos was following her about fifteen feet away, and she was doing everything in her power to keep the distance increasing. True, she wasn't doing a good job of being inconspicuous (shoving people and demanding they get out of her way as if there was an emergency), but Lina had a feeling that if she ran into Xellos he would sense who she was even with her clever disguise. At least with the disguise, Lina was safe from people being able to claim they saw her, if Xellos queried about it. 

"Damn that Xellos!" Lina huffed as she was forced to wait for some people to pass by. "He's unbelievable!" 

Lina decided then that she should turn back to see if Xellos was closing in on her. She felt as though he shouldn't be too close by, but her backwards glance proved that feeling to be dead wrong. She could almost see Xellos clearly, and it seemed he was having much less difficulty getting past people than Lina was. Lina put a hand over her mouth to prevent herself from making a sound that would draw attention to herself and tried to look for an alternative route of escape. It would take too much effort and time for her to keep trying to press forward and equally as much time and effort to try to escape to the right of the street. Turning around and trying to casually pass Xellos wasn't an option, so Lina was left with only one direction to go. Quickly she pushed her way to the far left of the street, where several buildings were lined along the road. Figuring that any one of them was as good as the other, Lina dashed into the first building she came across, ignoring whatever or whoever was inside. There was a rather large window near the entrance and Lina carefully poked her head from the bottom to watch the passing people. Two minutes later she saw Xellos's head making its way through the crowd, and a minute later it had passed the building. Lina let out a sigh and leaned against the wall, deciding she would hang out wherever she was until she thought of a better plan. Lina nearly jumped as she heard some heated conversation further in the building. Apparently it had paused for the moment when Lina had entered, though she was sure none of the occupants of the building realized she was there. 

"I'm going to be the laughingstock of Bravo!" a male voice said, slamming something down that sounded like paper. 

"Now, now, Mr. Director--" someone else began to protest. 

"I'm finished! I bragged so much about this production and now it's ruined--completely ruined!" 

The man, who Lina now knew was a director, silenced and the others who were around began to murmur about what he had said. She guessed that she had stumbled into one of the prevalent theater houses that Bravo was so famous for. Whatever the problem the director was having, Lina didn't particularly want to stick around and be in his line of fire. By now Xellos had probably decided to search for her on another street, and Lina was safe to continue her way out of the city. She had intended to leave the place with little notice she had ever been in the place, but in her determination to step as carefully as she could, she didn't take much notice of where her feet were stepping. Before she had realized it, her foot slide over a mat laying on the wooden floor, causing her to promptly fall on her back. Lina cursed as she experienced the pain as she laid on her back, followed by the sound of feet rushing toward her. Lina got to her feet before they had all managed to find her, but she couldn't make herself look innocent. The way she was standing there, smiling as if she had been caught stealing something, Lina couldn't really blame them for the way they acted. 

"Who the heck are you??" one of the men demanded. 

"Maybe he's a spy from one of the other plays, come to see how badly we're doing!" another one said. A few others agreed with him and stepped closer to Lina. 

"Iie, it's not what you think--" Lina said, carefully continuing to walk backwards toward the door. 

"Wait a minute!" an older man, obviously the oldest of the group, said as he pushed his way through the number of men prepared to stop Lina from leaving. He pointed at Lina with what Lina guessed to be a rolled up script. "This man has to be in my play!" 

"Ee (Huh)?" Lina said, not sure if she should be more concerned about the suspicious people or the crazy elderly man who had announced that she should be in some play. 

"What are you saying, Rossburg-san??" the one who had first question Lina asked. "You don't even know who this jerk is!" Several others agreed with him. 

"Uh..." Lina said, glancing back at the door that was only a few inches away. If she took advantage of their argument, she could leave before there was any trouble or any useless attention to herself that might allow Xellos to get on her trail again. 

"It doesn't matter!" Mr. Rossburg said, finally silencing all of their protests. He saw Lina slyly slipping out of the door and rushed to grab her arm. "Matte (Wait)!" 

"Look I've got places I need to be!" Lina said, trying to prevent the old man from pulling her back in. He was stronger than she had thought and succeeded in dragging her back into the place. 

Lina nearly jumped as the man let go of her arm and then quickly placed his hands on her shoulders. "Listen, it doesn't matter to me who you are," Mr. Rossburg said. "I need you in my play! I just lost one of my lead actors, and actors are scarce because of the large demand of them in Bravo! You can't refuse!" 

"Joudan ja nai yo (You've got to be kidding)!" Lina said, leaning her head back so that she wasn't so close to the desperate man. "I'm not an actre...actor!" 

"Sou da (That's right)!" another member of the Rossburg group agreed. "This man just stumbled into our theater house from off the street!" Lina couldn't help but feel slightly insulted even if she didn't like the idea of being an actor. 

Mr. Rossburg turned his back to Lina for a moment and faced his group with a large smile and his arms folded across his chest. "It was fate that brought this young man to the Rossburg Theater House," he said. "We have just recently lost our leading actor whom none of you can replace. Now here comes this man right when we are in a jam who will fit perfectly into the role that is currently open!" 

Lina didn't even want to know what the role was, having a bad feeling about it ever since the man had announced that she had to be in his play. It seemed the others were mulling over what Mr. Rossburg had said, and once again Lina tried to quietly step out of the place. However, she was stopped again by Mr. Rossburg who turned back and looked at her as if she had already agreed to be in his play. As much as Lina wanted to leave, she felt unable to do so with the man acting as though her participation was extremely important to him. 

"So, will you perform in my play?" Mr. Rossburg asked. 

"Listen, I really can't stick around in this place--" Lina said, waving her hands and shaking her head. 

"Of course, we'll pay you ten thousand gold pieces for the performance and you'll have free board and meals during the course of the rehearsals," Mr. Rossburg added. 

"No, no, I--" Lina said, before she let any of what he said sink in. As it did three seconds later she stopped waving her hands and her eyes grew wide. "That much money _and_ free meals??" 

"Sou, sou (Right, right)!" Mr. Rossburg said. "The leading actor always should be paid well for his hard work." 

Lina put a hand to her chin. _I could easily kill two birds with one stone..._ she thought. _I'll have a great cover if I stay here, allowing me to avoid Xellos, and I'll get the money I need to pay that creepy rich guy back! Plus it doesn't hurt that I'll have free food for a while! I can't beat that!_

"Well," Lina said, rubbing her head, "when you make such an appealing offer like that, how can I say no?" 

"Excellent!" Mr. Rossburg said, turning back to his players. "Our play is back on track! We have a good week to practice which is more than enough time for our newest member to learn his lines, so let's do our best!" His men cheered and looked a great deal less doubtful of Lina as they previously had. 

Lina smiled crookedly and followed behind Mr. Rossburg, now just wondering what the play was that she had agreed to perform. She guessed it wouldn't be anything terrible since all the players were men. It was probably a play about a journey on a boat or something robust like that, Lina figured. Besides, there was nothing that Lina Inverse couldn't handle, especially when payment and free food was concerned. If anything, luck had finally smiled upon Lina for the first time in days.   
  
******   
  


Lina was partially right about her assumptions. Joining the Rossburg Players seemed to give her a good cover in Bravo and prevent her from attracting much attention considering they did all of their rehearsals in the stage located within the theater house. A complete day had already passed since she had seen Xellos in town, so it was likely that he had dismissed her presence in Bravo by now. She had eaten a total of four meals in her current lodgings and the food was pretty decent. Lina only restrained her terrible and insatiable eating habits whenever she became conscious of how much the other actors were staring at her. All that really mattered was that the food wasn't inedible and she was able to eat it when she was hungry which was immediately after they finished a couple of rehearsals. The place she had slept on the day she had wandered into the house wasn't too shabby either, and she was lucky enough that their was an odd number of players which allowed her to have a room with two beds in it all to herself. The only thing that Lina really could complain about and in fact was moping about as she was eating her dinner was the actual play. She had been dead wrong about the play. 

The play was hardly a robust tale about the struggles a group of men encounter during a journey; it was far worse than Lina could have ever imagined. It nearly shocked her that the players would participate in such a bizarre play, but she guessed the pay was good for them too. Still Lina was sure if she had known the details of the play, she wouldn't have participated no matter how appealing the offer had been. Lina wondered had Zelgadis been with her if she would have still ended up in the same place. For a moment Lina smiled, imagining Zelgadis in the same predicament as she was. 

"I'm glad my part doesn't require me to dress up like a woman," one of the other actors said as he ate his dinner. "Even for just a play, it's pretty embarrassing." 

"I hear you," the man said, sitting next to him. "Still, acting as if we were women in men's clothes is almost just as bad." The other man made a sound that indicated he agreed with him. 

Lina began to sulk again, recalling her leading role. Apparently the story was about a group of women disguised as men so that they wouldn't be found by some people trying to detain them. They find refuge in a small town, trying to act inconspicuous so that they don't arouse attention that they're really women. Lina's part, Pat (a good name because it could either be short for Patrick or Patricia), comes across a strange woman that she later befriends in the play. However, later on as the two become more friendly, Pat begins to realize that she's fallen in love with a woman. It seems as though that the other woman is in love with Pat, but of course, she has no idea that Pat is actually a woman as well. It would blow all the other women's covers if Pat was to reveal her true identity, so the majority of the play is how much trouble Pat has about being a lesbian and deceiving the other woman. Finally at the end of the play Pat is able to reveal her true identity and hopes that she doesn't lose the woman she loves. However, that is when the woman reveals that she too has been deceiving Pat. The woman Pat loves is actually a man also disguising himself to escape capture from someone. Both are relieved that they weren't homosexual, but are more relieved that neither of their deceptions had prevented them from being together. Lina guessed you could call it a comical romance, but to her it was the strangest play ever. 

Instead of casting a group of women to play the main characters, Mr. Rossburg had men simply acting as if they were really women in drag. The director said that he was trying to be realistic, but somehow Lina got the distinct feeling he was just a bit crazy. At some points during the rehearsal, Mr. Rossburg acted as if he truly believed that his actors were actresses pretending to be men which usually made the actors highly irritated. The director didn't seem to mind and constantly demanded that the men display a few more female attributes, even though they were supposed to be in disguise. His reason behind this was that no matter how well a woman acted, she could never pass off as a man so accurately. The players accepted this, but Lina did not. She was often called on by Mr. Rossburg to give the audience more of a sense that she was really a woman and to tone done her masculinity more. Since Lina was really a woman pretending to be a man and now having to pretend to be a man pretending to be a woman, it wasn't only difficult, but infuriating as well. There were several times when Lina was going to declare that she was not acting too much like a man, but somehow she managed to put up with Mr. Rossburg's demands. 

The other leading role of the play, Sam (which also was an apt name for either a woman or a man) was actually played by the single woman of the group, Isabelle, who seemed to really not like Lina for some reason. To tell the truth, Lina didn't like Isabelle either, but that was only because she had to exchange lines with Isabelle as if she was in love with her. Lina didn't think that even if she was an actress she would be comfortable noting another woman looked lovely one day. Isabelle was a taller woman which had been Mr. Rossburg's intention so that it seemed more probable that the smaller person could actually be a woman in disguise. They hadn't done the final scene where Lina had to dress up like a woman and Isabelle like a man, but Lina was confident that her cover wouldn't be blown when she would. Isabelle constantly hammed up on the stage, leading Lina to like the woman even less, but she did her best not to show her discontent on or off the stage. It was impossible, however, to not show her discontent of the play in general. Most of the actors, especially those that did have to dress up as a woman for a scene of the play, complained about the content of the play. 

Once again Lina noted that Mr. Rossburg wasn't all there because no matter how much grief he seemed to be giving his players, he didn't appear to be fazed by their grumbling at all. All he was interested in was that their lines and actions were given and performed well. If they had beef after the play that was fine. The old director's mind was firmly set that his play was a work of art. Lina wondered if this was the first time he had made such an enjoyable (in his opinion) play to perform. She supposed those that would view the play could find in enjoyment in the odd comedy and that was really his goal. Or, Lina thought after seeing how insane the man was about perfection and realism in his play, she supposed he was just wanted the play done for his own enjoyment. 

"I'm sorry, Rossburg-san, but I quit!" Isabelle said as she entered the dining room with a suitcase in both hands. She set them on the floor and pointed at Lina who at that moment was also noting that she hated how loudly Isabelle spoke. "I can't stand working with that man any more! I absolutely detest him! He has no talent to be the lead actor or even any of the other significant roles! I won't lower myself to be cast with such an amateur!" 

"What are you saying, Isabelle??" Mr. Rossburg said as the other players expressed their surprise at her sudden desire to quit. Lina remained silent while she imagined taking Isabelle to an alley and showing her how well Lina could perform a thug-like beating of her. "Versely-san is doing his part just as well as the previous actor! There's no need to quit!" 

"Well, I am!" Isabelle insisted. "Besides, who'd want to do a play like this with such an unattractive man! I can do a lot better than this!" With a final "hmph," Isabelle picked up her bags and stormed out of the room. 

_The more I travel, the more people I find that I hate,_ Lina thought, so tempted to run after Isabelle and show her the true power of Lina Inverse. 

"Great now our leading actress has quit," sighed one of the players. "Even though she had a really bad attitude, she was the only one able to play the part." 

Mr. Rossburg clenched his fists. "I finally thought everything was coming together!" he said, hitting the table with one of his fists. "Now I truly will be the laughingstock of Bravo if I don't come across a replacement soon!" 

"I doubt you'll find another woman willing to play a role where she's really a man," another player noted. "Even if the pay is good, there are few people willing to participate." 

"Ruined! Completely ruined!" Mr. Rossburg said, beginning to bury his face in his hands. 

"Uh, well, maybe we'll be lucky again and another replacement will stumble into our theater house again," the first player suggested. "In the meantime, there's no reason we have to stop rehearsing..." 

"You're right!" Mr. Rossburg said, standing up as if ignited by his words. Lina wasn't the only one regarding him as if he was slightly unbalanced. "Until fate brings us our new leading lady, I will fill in the role so that rehearsal can continue as usual!" 

The majority of the Rossburg players groaned or laughed nervously at the director's announcement, but they seemed generally pleased that Mr. Rossburg hadn't let his spirits get down. Lina, on the other hand, was sitting at the table with a twitchy expression. Yes, she had disliked performing the scenes with Isabelle and her great ego, but Lina didn't even need to image doing the same scenes with Mr. Rossburg. She debated whether or not she should continue to do the play, doubting Mr. Rossburg would be lucky enough to find a replacement for Isabelle. The situation seemed to be getting worse and worse by the day, and Lina wasn't sure if it was worth it. Then again, Lina didn't have any other plans for getting money and at the moment, this was her only option. She'd be damned if she'd end up meeting Zelgadis again and have him give her a look that implied he knew she wasn't going to have earned any money in his absence. Lina would show him, and she would cut all ties from Xellos forever if she only endured the insanity of the play a little longer. Still, as much as Lina felt determined to follow through with her current plan so that she could show up Zelgadis, seeing Mr. Rossburg go on about his play so passionately made Lina positive that the whole thing was going to be extremely difficult.   
  
******   
  


"Versely-san, you have to do a better job of slipping in some suggestions that you are a woman!" Mr. Rossburg said to Lina. They had finished the afternoon rehearsal and most of the players had already left to eat lunch. "The audience needs to feel as though you truly are a woman underneath those clothes!" 

Lina was fortunate her eyes were covered by the thick glasses because her eyes would have surely set anyone on fire that viewed her furious expression. _I am a woman, damnit!_ she silently screamed. _There are tons of women who would kill to be as feminine as I am!!_

"Your role is critical--it must be completely convincing!" Mr. Rossburg said, holding up his arm as if trying to point to the top of the stage. "Do you understand, Versely-san?" 

"Oh, absolutely..." Lina grumbled. She willed her scowl into an unsteady smile. "Can I go, Mr. Director?" 

"Yes, eat and take the time to absorb yourself in your role!" Mr. Rossburg said. "You are a woman--remember that!" 

"Yeah, I'll remember that all right," Lina grumbled, stepping off the stage. She continued to mutter and curse the director, trying to convince herself that she wasn't acting too much like a man but Mr. Rossburg was just too crazy to realize how feminine she was even while pretending to be a man. Her bitter attitude followed her to the dining room and her appetite was actually diminished. She ate about three plates of food (opposed to her usual stacks of plates) and then began to go off to her room to calm herself down a little. 

Lina was little preoccupied with her thoughts as she headed up the stairs not too far from the entrance to the house, not realizing that two people were having a conversation at about the same location she had first stumbled into the theater house. It wasn't until she had completely ascended the stairs that she heard the faint murmurs of two people talking. At first she was going to ignore it, too bothered by Mr. Rossburg's early comments, but then she realized it was Mr. Rossburg speaking below. His voice was a bit deeper than the other person's voice so she could better distinguish him than the other person. Since Mr. Rossburg was Lina's current bane, she was a bit curious as to whom the director was speaking to. Casually Lina walked over to the railing at the top of the stairs and looked down at those talking below near the door. Her bitterness allowed her a three-second tunnel vision of only Mr. Rossburg, before her brain's alarm rang off and told her that the person she should really be worried about was to whom Rossburg-san spoke. Lina almost stumbled backwards into the wall in disbelief. 

"No!!" Lina said, now leaning against the wall she had almost fall back upon. "There is no logical reason why Xellos should be here! He just can't be here!" 

Lina cursed and scurried back down the stairs, using its wall to hide behind as she poked her head from behind it to view the two men talking. Mr. Rossburg wasn't really important to her now; Lina wanted to know what Xellos was saying. She had a good guess, but she had already missed a part of the conversation. 

"...haven't seen anyone like you've described," Mr. Rossburg said. He seemed to be studying Xellos's face rather than really concerned with what he was saying. 

"Sou desu ka (Is that right)?" Xellos said, rubbing the back of his head. "It's very troubling looking around for that person, you see. I've been at it for a week, and I haven't had much luck. Well, I guess I'll just look somewhere else. Thank you for your time." Xellos turned to leave, and Lina began to silently cheer. 

"Ah, matte (wait)!" Mr. Rossburg said, causing Xellos to turn back. Lina began to curse the old man and wanted to kill him for stopping Xellos's retreat. 

"Hai?" Xellos said. 

Mr. Rossburg had an inspired look in his eyes that Lina didn't like because it reminded her a little of when he had stopped her. She had a bad feeling about Mr. Rossburg stopping Xellos and the look on his face only made the feeling worse. Xellos didn't seem at all concerned about Mr. Rossburg's expression, but then again he didn't look like he was in a hurry either (much to Lina's discontent). 

"Mr...um, what was it?" Mr. Rossburg said. 

"Metallium. Xellos Metallium." Xellos said, smiling as if he was very proud of that name. Lina believed it to be her least favorite group of syllables in any language. 

"Yes, Metallium-san," Mr. Rossburg said, nodding. "After meeting you I've just realized something very important." 

"Ee? What's that?" 

"You must be in my play!" 

Lina was lucky she didn't knock herself unconscious as she fell back upon the stairs she had been standing on. She quickly recovered, ignoring the pain in her head, and then returned to her previous position. Xellos seemed surprised, but not as much as Lina had been. Lina cursed Mr. Rossburg once again, knowing that the old man would probably try every trick in the book to convince Xellos to participate. Lina just had to hope that Xellos would deem his search for her more important than some silly play. 

"Play, you say?" Xellos said. His expression didn't seem thrilled, yet it didn't seem as though he thought it was a horrible idea either. 

"Yes!" Mr. Rossburg said. "The role I want you to play was previously performed by a woman, but now I realize that the role is much better performed by man! Of course, not just any man can play such a part. Only a special type of person can perform this role and you, Metallium-san, are that person!" 

"Well, I appreciate the compliment..." Xellos said, now his face was beginning to show signs of polite objection, "but I really don't have the time to participate in a play right at the moment. As I've said before, there's a certain someone I've been looking for..." 

_Yes!_ Lina thought, shooing Xellos away with her hand although he was in no position to see her. _Get going, Xellos!_

"The play starts in about a week," Mr. Rossburg said. "I'm sure your search could wait for that amount of time, right? Besides, if you join my group you'll have free meals and board and plus I'll pay you ten thousand gold pieces for your performance. There's no other theater house that will pay anywhere as much for their actors." 

"That much money _and_ free meals..." Xellos said, putting a hand to his chin. "No other theater house would offer as much, did you say?" 

"Sou (Right)!" Mr. Rossburg said, smiling because it seemed as if Xellos was thinking it over. "What do you say, Metallium-san?" 

Lina's bad feeling returned, but she calmly talked herself out of worrying. _Daijoubu (It'll be okay),_ she thought even though she was terribly nervous about Xellos mulling over the offer. _Xellos is rich, so offering him that money and free food won't convince him at all. There's no way he'd agree to be in the play. It's impossible..._

The exact moment Lina saw Xellos's trademark sinister smile, she knew that everything was no going to okay. "Maybe I will do this play," Xellos said. "Sounds like fun." 

"Excellent!" Mr. Rossburg said. "We have to start fitting you for your costume right away. Now, it shouldn't be too hard to dress you so that you look like a woman..." 

Lina slapped her hand over her mouth, anticipating her scream, as she ran back up the stairs. Mr. Rossburg was leading Xellos further into the house and Lina took refuge in her room, so that their meeting would be delayed at the least. Now that she was in her room and her hand was still securely over her mouth she let herself scream and curse more freely. Her hand did a poor job of muffling the sound, but it was enough that no one would come to check up on her from the excessive noise. Lina finally gave that up after three minutes and took in a deep breath. However, her little screaming session hadn't calmed her very much. 

"Joudan ja nai yo (You've got to be kidding)!" she said, pacing around in her room. "This has to be some bad dream or something! Why the hell would Xellos agree to do this play?? It doesn't make any damn sense!!" 

Lina eventually ended up lying on her bed, angrily trying to figure out what she was going to do. The whole idea of her disguise was to keep people from being able to claim they had seen her if Xellos had questioned about it; however, Lina knew quite well that Xellos was an expert at seeing through her disguises. He had easily recognized her at the beauty contest, but of course her disguise had been much less elaborate. If Lina left now she would surely be able to avoid Xellos for almost a week if he did indeed intent to participate in the play. She could make it to another town in about three days and then spend the rest of that time getting the money she needed. Lina liked that idea, but she didn't really like the idea of passing up the money that Rossburg-san offered. 

"Nope, it's my only option," Lina said, sitting up. "Xellos is up to something--I know it! It can't be a coincidence he's here. I'm going to have to just pack up and leave without a word. If Xellos sees me leave, he might become suspicious and know it's me. I better hurry!" 

Lina began collecting the few things that she had brought with her and was just about to place her bag on her back when she heard a knocking at her door. She cursed and shoved her bag under her bed before telling whoever was at her door that it was okay for him to enter. Lina was actually getting good at making her voice masculine since she had arrived at the Rossburg Theater House, but that was only due to the fact that she had to speak more often than she had when she was just simply traveling with Zelgadis. So far, none of the players had suspected that she wasn't a man. 

"Versely-san?" Mr. Rossburg said, coming into her room. 

Lina already began to sweat, knowing exactly why he was there. She knew she looked strange sitting on the floor and acting as if she'd seen a ghost, but there was little Lina could do about that. It took all of her acting skills to sit still and smile back at the director. 

"Uh, hai?" Lina said, laughing nervously on the inside. 

"We are truly fortunate that we have a replacement for Isabelle!" Mr. Rossburg announced. "He's going to be staying with you in this room, so I hope you two will work together well. Metallium-san?" 

Lina's silent laughter began to be audible as she saw Xellos step into the room and make a show bow. "Hajimemashite (Nice to meet you), Versely-san," he said. The sinister smile was still upon his face. "I hope I will do this fine play justice." 

"A...aa (Ye...yeah)..." Lina said, finally able to stop her laughter. Her anxiety was replaced with anger at not just the fact she hadn't been able to get away before Xellos had saw but the fact that Lina had to see that smile close up that she really hated. Lina hated all of his smiles, but this one in particular was her least favorite. 

"I know that you've just recently joined us, Versely-san," Mr. Rossburg said, "but I thought it would be better for you to give Metallium-san a heads-up about the play before we start our evening rehearsal since you two will be working closely together. I hope you don't mind that a man's playing the other leading role now." 

"Of...Of course not," Lina said, waving her hands. _Damnit, I better stop acting so strange or Xellos will catch on faster,_ she thought. 

"Good! Well, I have some thing I need to take care of so I'll leave you two to discuss the play!" Mr. Rossburg said, leaving the room. 

_When all of this is over, I am killing that man!_ Lina thought while at the same time offered Xellos a kind but unstable smile. 

"My, Rossburg-san sure is enthusiastic about the theater," Xellos commented, taking a seat on the end of the adjacent bed. 

"Maa na (I guess so)," Lina said, slowly getting to her feet and taking a seat on her own bed. _I'm going to have to sneak out of this house before the day's done,_ she thought, avoiding eye contact with Xellos though her eyes were covered by her glasses. _There's no way I'm going to share a room with Xellos! There's no way I'm going to stay any place where Xellos exists within a hundred miles of the place!_

"It seems to be a very unique play that we're going to perform," Xellos said, going on in what Lina had deemed Xellos's friendly but phony manner. He was a master of speaking as though he was the most polite and genial person you ever met, but underneath it all was a deceptive, untrustworthy demeanor. "After all, Rossburg-san has already told me I'll have to dress up as a woman." 

Lina raised a brow at him, noticing his amused tone. "You don't seem to mind that very much," she noted. 

"Iie, not at all," Xellos said with that wide, goofy smile that Lina hadn't seen in a while. "That just makes the play more interesting, desshou (am I right)?" 

"Uh...maa na..." Lina said, sweat-dropping. _There are really times when I wonder about Xellos..._ she thought. 

"So, what's the play about?" 

Lina groaned a little, remembering how much she hated the play. "It's a really strange romance," she said. "My character is a woman who is hiding with her other woman companions by dressing up like men. While they are in hiding, my character meets a woman whom she later falls in love with." 

"Ah, sounds wonderful already," Xellos said as if he didn't notice the annoyance in Lina's voice. "I hope it ends happily." 

"Yes...it does..." Lina said. Her annoyance rose, hearing how much Xellos liked the play. He was the only one beside Mr. Rossburg who even pretended to like the content of the play. "The character you'll be playing turns out to really be a man, so when my character reveals she's really a woman, there's little problem with them being together." 

"I think it will really be worth my time to do this play," Xellos said. "I can tell it's going to be really, really fun!" 

_And I can tell that if I don't get out of here soon, I'm really going to lose my cover as well as my mind,_ Lina thought, sensing a great deal of trouble on the way.   
  
******   
  


Lina had little reservations about retreating from the house after experiencing the evening rehearsal. Doing the play with Isabelle was irritating, doing it with Rossburg-san was peculiar, but doing it with Xellos was in a whole different category. It combined all of her unpleasant emotions: rage, discomfort and anxiety, and most of all disgust. Lina had seen a lot of things during her travels and had met plenty of different types of people. Despite her experience with such diversity, there was no one she had ever met that could ever fit into the Xellos-type category. Lina had thought it was bad enough that Xellos was sneaky, secretly wicked and vicious, and impossibly astute when finding Lina was concerned, but seeing Xellos dressed up a woman (and not even a bad-looking woman at that) and acting too comfortable with his role made Lina see him in a whole new light. Lina had figured that even Xellos had his limits, but now she thought that Xellos really had no bounds to the things he would do. Sure Lina had never seen Xellos express shame, but she had thought that he had a sense of dignity somewhere inside of him. 

Lina loathed the play now; it had just been tolerable at the beginning. She couldn't decide whether or not she wanted to just scream because she was in Xellos's presence or just stop in the middle of the play and demand to know why Xellos was so good at being a woman. At some instances Lina truly believed he was a woman, but then of course she was brought back to reality to realize she was just doing a play with the last person she would want to breath the same air as. The other players seemed to really enjoy Xellos's performance, not to mention Mr. Rossburg who was delighted at Xellos's acting skills. He constantly praised Xellos's work, while at the same time told Lina to express her femininity a little more. Lina was tempted so many times to throw Xellos into Rossburg-san and then run out of the theater house for good. 

There was no way Lina could bare to practice that play again with Xellos no matter how well she was paid or fed. She had her bag on her back, Xellos as well as the other people in the house were asleep in bed, and there wasn't anything else in her way of leaving the place. Lina took a glance at Xellos while he slept, this being the first time she had ever seen him sleeping. Not believing Xellos to be human, Lina didn't ever image Xellos did sleep. He almost looked innocent sleeping, as if the front he always displayed was real, but of course, Lina knew that it was merely because he wasn't awake. Once Xellos was awake, the innocent appearance would vanish. 

_Well, time to get going while the getting's good,_ Lina thought. She smiled as she grasped the doorknob and quietly opened the door. Once she stepped out the room, she slowly began to close the door behind her. 

"Versely-san?" 

Lina jumped and quickly looked back to see Xellos sitting up in his bed. A sweat-drop formed on the side of her head and she quickly tried to think of a good reason she was walking around at night with a bag on her back. Xellos turned so that he was sitting on the middle edge of his bed and could better see her. 

"Oya (Oh)? What are you doing up at this time of the night?" he asked. 

"Eto (Uh)...I was just going to step out for some fresh air..." Lina said, laughing in an unconvincing tone. 

"Sou ka (I see)," Xellos said, smiling. Lina swallowed as she saw his purple eyes revealed in the dark room which was really spookier than when it was in the light. "Naruba, (Then) why do you have your bag on your back as if you were leaving for good?" 

"...." Lina was sweating profusely. _Kuso!_ she thought. _Why the hell did Xellos wake up?? Or...was he even asleep at all..._

"Rossburg-san would be very disappointed, I think, to hear that his lead actor had once again quit on him," Xellos added, holding up a finger. 

"Chiga, chiga (Wrong, wrong)!" Lina said, shaking her head. "I wasn't _leaving_." 

"Oh?" Xellos was smiling as if he didn't really believe her, which really bothered Lina. 

"Well, um... I have this tailor friend here in town that stays open really late," Lina said, starting to let her mouth run without worrying whether or not her excuse sounded reasonable, "and I kinda need some of my clothes altered because, uh...um... I think I'm starting to gain a little weight. Yes, and it's really embarrassing, and I, um...don't want to go there in the day, you see..." 

Xellos's eyes finally closed again, despite the suspicious and nervous laughter Lina was making. "Oh, is that all?" he said, smiling as though he thought that was a silly thing to be embarrassed about. 

"Of course!" Lina said, waving her hand. "Why would I quit the play when the pay's so good?" 

"Yes, the pay is exceptionally good and the meals are free..." Xellos commented. Lina noticed how strangely he said that as if he was trying to mean something that Lina didn't realize. 

"Well, you know, since you caught me, I guess I'll just go to the tailor a different time during the day," Lina said quickly coming back into the room. She went over to her bed and shoved the bag under it before getting back under the covers. "Now that I've told you the truth, it seems silly to be so worried about things like gaining weight." 

"Ee, tashikani (Yes, certainly)," Xellos agreed. He too placed himself back under the covers and turned his head in Lina's direction. "You know, it's barely noticeable that you're gaining weight. I'm sure not many people will realize." 

Lina's face turned bright red, not only from his words but the irritating smile on Xellos's face as well. "Domo (Thanks)..." she muttered, clenching her sheets tightly. _How the hell could he say I'm getting fat??_ she thought. _He hasn't even been around me for a full day!_

"Well, good night, Versely-san," Xellos said, yawning. He turned so that his back was to Lina as he slept and became still again. 

Lina glared at his back, thinking that Xellos was faking his drowsiness and probably turned away from her so that she couldn't tell he was still awake. She thought about saying something to him to prove he was still awake, but then she sighed and laid back against the bed. For the moment she was stuck at the Rossburg Theater House unless she decided to just run away without any logical explanation and hope that Xellos wouldn't follow her. With her luck he would, and he would expect it, thus catching her quicker. The last thing she wanted to do was to go back to Hadin and have Zelgadis tell her "I told you so." Lina was going to show Zelgadis and she was going to beat Xellos too. Until she thought of a secret way to escape, Lina would have to endure the unpleasantness of working with Xellos in the play. Lina sighed again, though she doubted she would ever be completely comfortable sleeping when she knew Xellos was about five feet from her bed, and tried her best to go to sleep.   
  
******   
  


Lina really hated the scene she and Xellos were practicing, almost as much as she hated the fact that Xellos hung around her so much that she hadn't managed to escape from the theater house for days. It was one of the few scenes that required them to touch, and Lina barely managed to deliver her lines without sounding as if she was uncomfortable being so near Xellos. Xellos either didn't notice her uneasiness or ignored it; he was doing everything as Mr. Rossburg envisioned, causing him to call for Lina to strive closer to perfection as well. Lina didn't know what was worse: doing the dance scene with Xellos or constantly having her femininity insulted by the director. 

"I got the feeling you didn't really want to come with me to this event," Lina said, having to pretend she wasn't really holding Xellos at his waist to prevent herself from pulling away from the man. Xellos's hands were resting on her shoulders, which made Lina just as tense as if she thought he were going to choke her. 

"I...Iie..." Xellos said in his oh-too-feminine voice, "I, um...just don't usually participate in...public social events like this, that's all." 

"Sou ka (I see)," Lina said, laughing as if she were nervous (which was easy because she was just short of shaking). "I'm sure an...attractive young woman like yourself would have plenty of men asking her to dance." 

Lina couldn't help twitch a little as Xellos emitted a girlish laugh that was supposed to suggest that his character was thinking, "yeah, right." Lina quickly took away her disturbed expression and replaced it with the friendly smile she was supposed to be displaying. However, she made a mental note that she really needed to check to see if the mysterious millionaire had always been a woman pretending to be a man. 

"I really admire how graceful you are. I wish I were as--" Lina let go of Xellos, according to the script, and silently cheered that she wouldn't have to touch him again for a while. She turned her back to him and laughed, Pat having not meant to say that. "I mean, I have met few women with such grace.... Um, it's...very admirable." 

"Arigatou..." Xellos said with a tone that he wondered what Lina's character had meant by what he had started to say. 

Lina turned quickly back to Xellos, pointing to a table that had refreshments in an attempt to take Sam's mind from pondering Pat's previous words. "Say let's get something to drink," she suggested. "I'm kind of thirsty--how about you?" 

"E...ee..." Xellos said. He followed Lina over to the table set up on the middle of stage and then took the glass that Lina handed to him. "You know, I've noticed since the time we've met that you are much more mannerly than most men are." 

"Oh?" Lina said, pouring herself a glass a wine and then pouring Xellos some. She smiled as she thought a boastful man would. "I guess it's just because I was raised to be a perfect gentleman." 

"Iie, it's not just that," Xellos said. He finished his glass of wine before going on, and started to pour another glass as he continued. "Your manner is almost as if...as if..." 

"As if?" Lina said, taking a single sip from her glass just as Xellos started downing his second glass. 

"As if...perhaps you were...a woman..." Xellos said. He emptied his glass for the second time, seeming as if he was embarrassed to say so. 

Lina nearly dropped her glass, and then placed upon the table once she had grasped it firmly again. "What a thing to say!" she said in her deepest, most masculine voice. "Of course, I'm a man! Why the very thought is absurd!" 

"Sou desu ne (That's true)!" Xellos said, laughing as if his character had meant it as a joke. He began pouring his third glass still laughing. "I must just be imagining things!" 

"Aa, tashikani (Yeah, definitely)," Lina agreed. The two of them stood there in awkward silence while Lina idly sipped her glass of wine and Xellos had several more. When Lina had finally finished her one glass, she raised a brow at Xellos reaching for the bottle of wine again. 

"You know, your manner of drinking is not unlike a man," Lina said. Her character meant it as a joke, but Xellos's character didn't see it that way and started to be nervous. 

"Oh...well..." Xellos said, finally resting his glass on the table, "I have trouble refusing good wine!" He did his great imitation of womanish giggling and Lina conveniently turned (though not according to the script) away during the few seconds she express her discontent. 

"Sou ka," Lina said. She held up the interested expression she was supposed to keep while Xellos recited his next series of lines, though her thoughts were barely on the play. _If I go through this part one more time..._ she thought, _I'm going to run out of this place whether it blows my cover or not..._

"...at least, that's what I think," Xellos said, concluding his lines before it was Lina's turn again. 

"Yes, I also think the same way," Lina said. She made a mental sigh as she saw the three guys on the stage walk behind Xellos, knowing that another of her least favorite parts was coming up. 

"Oi, how about dancing with us, ojouchan (Miss)?" one of the men said. 

Xellos expressed veiled disgust, according to the script. "No thanks," he said, shaking his head. 

"What's the problem?" the second one asked. He took a step forward. "This is a dance isn't it?" 

"I'm afraid all of my dances are promised to him," Xellos said, standing beside Lina with his expression unchanged. 

"Nan da (What)?" the third said, looking at Lina as if he wasn't impressed. "Koitsu (This guy)?" 

Lina meekly nodded. "Uh, hai..." she said. "She's my dancing partner for the night..." 

"Heh, well, we're cutting in," the second one said, pushing Lina back. 

"Oi!" Xellos said, easing up on the feminine tone and sounding a little harsher. 

Lina regained her balanced, looking frightened for a moment. The three men laughed at the ease at which she was pushed, and then circled around the frowning Xellos. His hands began to clench and it seemed at any moment he was going to fight off the advancing men. Lina on the other hand, soon got over her nervousness and strode over to help Xellos. 

"Now...now just wait a minute!" Lina said. "Don't you know that women don't like pushy men??" 

"Urasai (Shut up), you wimpy little guy," the third one said. He shooed Lina away with his hand. "Go be a weakling somewhere else." His buddies laughed with him. 

Lina appeared to be about to listen to their advice but then she changed her mind at the last minute and pushed back two of the men. "Why don't you three go find someone else to dance with??" she said, though her voice was shaky (as it should have been). 

"I thought we told you to go away!" the first one said, grabbing Lina by the arm and tossing her across the room. Lina tripped over a shorter table and pretended to twist her leg as she fell onto the floor. 

"Ah! Pat-san!" Xellos said. 

"Aw, forget about him," the first one said, pointing at Lina on the floor. "He's a loser." 

"Yakamashii (Shut up)!" Xellos said completely in a masculine voice, yet not loud enough for anyone outside besides the three men to hear. The three men were thoroughly surprised at how much his voice had changed and then even more surprised when Xellos socked the first man in the face, knocking him off his feet. 

"O...oi!" the third man said, frightened by Xellos's action but acting as if he couldn't possibly fear a woman. 

Xellos turned to him, holding up his fist. "You want to meet my fist too?" 

The two men jumped, shook their heads, quickly grabbed their friend, and finally took off after commenting that they didn't think Sam was as cute as they had thought. Xellos glared after them for a second or two before running over to Lina who still hadn't gotten to her feet. Xellos knelt beside her, concern spread over his face. 

"Pat-san! Daijoubu desu ka (Are you all right)?" Xellos asked. 

Lina moved and tried to sit up before cringing in pain and laying back against the floor. "My leg!" she said, in a voice struggling to maintain masculine, yet slightly conveying a whining woman. 

"You might have injured it," Xellos said. He delicately moved the table away from her leg, expressing sympathy when Lina moaned. "Let me check it out." 

_Here's that part!_ Lina thought, ending her concentration on her lines and focusing on what Xellos was doing. 

Xellos, exactly as he was instructed to do in the script, began to roll up Lina's pant leg up to her knee to inspect her "injury." The first time Lina had had to allow Xellos to do this, she couldn't bare it more than a second before she pretended to be ticklish and kicked him with her other leg. The other times she had rehearsed this particular part with Xellos she had intentionally sped up the process by saying her lines before it was time and forced Xellos's touching of her leg to only a few seconds. Mr. Rossburg had instructed her three days in a row not to do this and promised that today if she didn't do it right, they would practice the scene all day without meals if she didn't improve. Lina, though she couldn't stand the feeling of Xellos's fingers against her skin, forced herself to be still while Xellos played his part for the sake of her stomach. 

"Hmm..." Xellos said, his hands moving around her calf. "Let's see..." 

_Poison!_ Lina thought, grinding her teeth as she tensely waited for the dreaded part to be over. _I'll get some poison and put it in his drink then--_

Lina's discomfort was no longer shaded as she felt Xellos's movement about her leg slow and turn into more of a caress. Her face began to feel hot, and she could feel the urge to kill Xellos less and less possible to suppress. True, the script called for Xellos to examine her leg and then indicated that she had a slight swelling, but nothing said that he was to stroke her leg as if it were fine silk. 

"Your skin is really soft...for a man..." Xellos commented. Lina, in her anxiety, completely forgot that Xellos was saying a line from the play (mainly because she usually forced that line to be omitted by rushing the scene forward) and wholeheartedly believed that Xellos was actually saying that. His hands were still touching her leg, firing her up as well, but the grin on his face that led her to think that he spoke truthfully, really stet her off. 

"He-Hey!!" Lina said, snapping her leg away from Xellos and scrambling to her feet. "Don't you think you're getting a little too cozy there??" 

"Versely-san!" Mr. Rossburg said, yelling from off the stage. "Those are not the next lines!!" 

"Nan (Wha)..." Lina said, glaring at Mr. Rossburg before she realized she had forgotten that she was doing a play. She was still blushing, but her frown quickly turned into an abashed smile. "Oh...go...gomen nasai..." 

Xellos stood and rubbed the back of his head. "I'm sorry, Versely-san," he said. "I guess I was a little too absorbed in my character." 

Lina's glare returned, but this time it was directed at Xellos. "Omae (You)...!" she said, clenching her fists. 

"Don't apologize, Metallium-san!" Mr. Rossburg said, hopping onto the stage. He was immediately in Lina's face, shaking a rolled up script inches from her nose. "He was doing his part splendidly and you started adlibbing!" 

Lina sweat-dropped. _Adlibbing my foot,_ she thought. _I was saying what I really wanted to say._

"Maa, maa (Now, now), Rossburg-san," Xellos said. "I can't blame Versely-san for acting as he did. It must be difficult to have a man feeling up on your leg." 

_Somehow I'd doubt Xellos would mind if he were in my shoes..._ Lina thought dryly. 

"Listen!" Mr. Rossburg said, shaking the script in Lina's face again. "The play's only in a few days and you keep messing up this scene! It's critical in showing that Sam-san senses that Pat-san is a woman and that Pat-san has feelings for Sam-san! If this scene is ruined, the whole play is ruined! Do you understand, Versely-san??" 

"Hai, hai," Lina said, letting out a sigh. "It won't happen again...tabun (probably)." 

Xellos held up a finger, smiling in accord to his super-cheerfully mood he often displayed. "Demo Versely-san took longer to mess up this time, ne, Mr. Director?" he added. 

Mr. Rossburg folded his arms over his chest and nodded. "Well, I guess that's true," he admitted. He pulled out his pocket watch. "I suppose we can break for lunch now." 

"Phew," Lina said, wiping her forehead. 

"Shikashi (However)!" Mr. Rossburg said, pointing at Lina again. "We're going to do this scene again after lunch and you better do much better next time!" 

_Someone just kill me right now,_ Lina thought, losing her appetite at the thought of practicing the scene one more time. 

"Nice work, Metallium-san," one of the players who had been part of the group bugging Sam-san in the scene they had just done. "I have to admit, you're a lot better than Isabelle was." 

"Arigatou gozaimasu," Xellos said, taking a short bow. "I must admit that I only perform so well because this play is so entertaining." 

Lina glared at Xellos again, but decided to follow the rest of the players to the dining hall before she said something to him that revealed who she really was. However, not soon after she stepped off the stage, Xellos caught up with her and tapped her on the arm. Lina's fist actually began to move toward his face where it desired to slam itself against, but she managed to control herself and bring her fist back at her side. 

"Hai...Metallium-san?" Lina asked. 

"I just want to apologize again," Xellos said. "I hope I didn't make you feel too uncomfortable." 

"Oh, _no_," Lina said, her fist beginning to shake in response to her rising desire to hit him again. "I just tend to let myself get carried away too." 

"Yokatta (I'm glad)," Xellos said. 

Lina frowned at him and folded her arms over her chest to prevent any more involuntary swinging of her fists. "Ne, Metallium-san," she said. 

"Hai?" Xellos said, giving her that "I have no idea what you're going to ask me" face that Lina always thought was B.S. 

"Why did you agree to do this play?" Lina asked carefully. She had to make sure she didn't reveal her true identity by just asking a few questions. "I heard that you were supposed to be searching for someone important." 

"Ee, sou desu ne (Yes, that's true)," Xellos said, grinning as he did whenever he was scheming or covering something up. 

"Jaa, naze (Well, then why)?" Lina said. 

"I figured that since I've been lucky enough so far to catch up with my precious little quarry that sooner or later I'll stumble upon her once again." 

"Precious...little??" Lina couldn't say the rest because she was too compelled to jump on Xellos's back and beat his head in. 

"Well, I think I'm going to our room to glance over my lines before next rehearsal," Xellos said, separating from the group traveling to the dining room. "I will see you later, Versely-san!" 

Lina's curiosity about why Xellos was truly deciding to go to the room temporarily cleared her anger and prevented her from attacking Xellos for his comment concerning her. If she wasn't so sick and tired of seeing his face she might have followed him, but Lina decided that a few minutes away from Xellos was going to do her much better than satisfying her curiosity. At the moment it didn't look as though she could safely escape from the Rossburg Theater House, but Lina thought she needed a good meal almost as much as she needed to get away from Xellos. Just as Xellos had said luck seemed to smile upon him, so did Lina believe it did the same for her. Eventually, Lina would find the right time to escape, and she would do so with Xellos none the wiser, with little clue as to where she had gone.   
  
******   
  


Lina couldn't say that she was completely okay with the whole play now that it was finally time to perform it in front of people, but she had managed to desensitize herself enough that she didn't freak out every time Xellos touched her. The day before Lina had even gotten Mr. Rossburg's approval of her acting, so it seemed that all was going according to plan. She intended to collect her money right after the performance (and had asked Rossburg-san beforehand if he would do this for her), so she didn't have to worry about spending any additional time with Xellos. There was a cast party planned after the show, and Xellos had mentioned that he planned to attend. At the moment Lina was totally prepared for the play, her payment, and her escape. She had confidence that everything would go smoothly. 

Lina's wish had been granted and the play went on for the most part without a hitch. Knowing that this was the last time she would have to deal with Xellos in this manner, Lina gave the best performance she had ever done. The audience seemed to like the wacky play and were very amused to see men portraying woman disguised as men. However, Lina got the distinct feeling that some of the men in the audience truly believed Xellos was a woman. It was an honest mistake, she supposed; Xellos's costume consisted of a long red dress split on both sides at his thighs (which caused Lina to notice from the beginning that his legs were irritatingly more shapely than her own for some reason) and just a little makeup. Most of the Rossburg Players had commented that Xellos made a really good woman, which of course, Xellos took as no insult. 

The audience clapped as they finished the fourth scene, leaving only the fifth scene where Pat would reveal her true identity to Sam. Lina exited the stage to change into her new costume which was supposed to dress her up like a woman, but luckily didn't make her look like herself at all, especially with her glasses. The only problem with the outfit was that the cast were much less convinced that Lina was a woman when she got into her costume. Lina could kill them all, especially Xellos who had mentioned that she should be glad that she was so manly that even a disguise couldn't cover of her masculinity. It had been hard for Lina not to knock out a couple of his teeth. 

Lina stared at her reflection in the mirror in her dressing room and grinned to herself. "Just one more stupid scene and I'm going to be free from Xellos forever!" she said. She had just began to unbutton her shirt as she heard a knock at her door. Quickly she stopped what she was doing and gave the person permission to enter the room, though she hoped it wasn't Mr. Rossburg with another speech about giving a performance like she was going to die the next day. 

"Ah, good you haven't started to dress yet," Xellos said as he came into the room. He closed the door behind him and stayed close to the doorway. "There's no need for you to put on that costume. I've prepared stand-ins to perform the final scene in our place." 

"Ee?" Lina said, frowning at him. Xellos was already out of costume, but Lina did note that he was wearing his regular clothes and not what he was meant to wear for the final scene. "What are you talking about??" 

Xellos smiled and shook his head. "Lina-san, I know it's you underneath that wonderful disguise," he said. "I realized it just after one day I stayed in the theater house and told Rossburg-san that you were a criminal I was tracking down and to prevent you from escaping, I wanted you to believe that you were going to do this play, get paid, and then run off. So, I told him we would continue to do the play until the final scene where I would provide apt replacements so that his play wouldn't be compromised and I would still end up catching you." 

Lina was half surprised and half furious. "O...onore (why...why you)..." she said, finally taking over her glasses so that he could see her fiery expression in her eyes. "This is the second time you've led me to believe I was going to succeed, but in reality you were the one that held all the cards!" 

"Ee," Xellos agreed, the smile really beginning to ridicule her now. "I have to admit, Lina-san, that having fun leading you on is a nice reward for taking the time to search for you." 

"Grr!" Lina took a step forward and pointed a finger at him. "How did you know I was here at the Rossburg Theater House??" 

"I didn't." Lina looked confused, though still angry, and Xellos decided to elaborate. "I think it will be more fun to tell you this time." 

"Good, I wasn't in the mood for 'sore wa himitsu desu,'" Lina muttered. 

Xellos held up a finger. "First, I heard a rumor that you were traveling in the direction of Bravo, so I headed here and began searching the city," he said. "Demo I didn't have much luck finding you, so I was going to leave and try the next nearby city. Shikashi (However), as I was having dinner at a local restaurant, I heard one of the waiters commenting that earlier two men had dined at the restaurant and one of them ate like he had been starving for months. Being the curious fellow I am, I inquired if one of them fit Zelgadis's description and sure enough the waiter confirmed that Zelgadis had been there." 

Lina sweat-dropped. _I knew I should have made Zelgadis put on a disguise..._ she thought. 

"Well, that was enough reason for me to continue my search," Xellos said, putting the finger to his chin now. "The next day I went to every building I could and asked about you, but I had no luck, even when I came to the Rossburg Theater House. However, when Rossburg-san told me what he was offering to give his actors, I realized it was a good chance that if you decided to hide out in a theater house, it would definitely be this one. Free food and such a large amount of money? I thought to myself, 'If Lina-san isn't here, there's nowhere else in Bravo she would be.'" 

The sweat-drop on Lina's head had doubled. "Sou...sou ka (I...I see)..." she said. 

"Demo I didn't know for sure you were here until we practiced that dance scene," Xellos said. "I mean, I guessed that 'Versely-san' was you, but until I saw that scar on your leg, I hadn't been completely sure." 

Lina slapped her forehead. "Shimatta (Crap)!" she said. "I forgot about that stupid cut I had gotten from falling into that pit! I didn't even think about that when you were feeling up on my leg!" 

"Ee, I realized that," Xellos said, smiling with pride. "You were too worried about me simply touching you to worry about what you were revealing by showing your bare leg." 

"Chikusho (Damnit)!" Lina said. Her brows lowered and she prepared to charge past Xellos and escape. 

"Iie, Lina-san," Xellos said, revealing his brightly-colored eyes. "I don't intend to let you get away this time. I've been too careless to allow you and your little friend to prevent me from catching you, but I'm determined to make up for my past mistakes." 

Lina swallowed, deterred to fight her way out not just because of his words, but seeing him open his eyes as well. _Dooshiyo (What should I do)??_ she thought. _I think I can fight Xellos, but he's always full of tricks, so it's possible that I'll lose... Even so I can't go back to Hadin! I just can't!!_

"Now don't be thinking of foolish things like fighting me," Xellos said, scaring Lina because he was reading her mind perfectly. He smiled as if he wasn't threatening her and extended his hand to her. "Let's go, Lina-san. We've played Kakurenbo for long enough, desshou (don't you think)?" 

_Kuso (Shit) I guess I'll have to go quietly for now and think of a way to escape later,_ she thought. _I know if I stay at Xellos's place again, my life is going to be hell--absolutely hell._

Lina sighed and took Xellos's hand, much to his delight and her displeasure. He began leading her out of the dressing room, talking happily as if Lina had went with him by choice and ignoring her cheerless mood as he often did. Lina began to tune him out, remembering that the last thing Zelgadis had said to her was that he hoped she wasn't in Hadin in a week. That was the pinnacle of the consequences of her defeat; eventually Zelgadis would find out that she had failed for the fourth time. 

_Zel is never going to let me live this down..._ Lina thought, finding it harder and harder to ignore Xellos's jovial ramblings as they began their journey back to Hadin. _I think I'm gonna dread seeing him again almost more than I'm going to dread having to serve Xellos again..._   
  


To be continued...   
  


Next Chapter: Lina's back working for Xellos! Yay! Well, it's not so happy for Lina, but those who wanted Lina to get caught should be happy. Find out where Zelgadis had been for that week and exactly what he thinks when he discovers Lina's right back in Hadin. Plus, some of the "mystery" of the Houshu Forest will be revealed! And of course, Lina will try her best to get away from Xellos, though she's going to have a lot more trouble doing so this time! Well, I hope next time my update will be less tardy (sorry once again)! Ja ne! ^_^ 


	8. Secrets

*Author's Notes: Hi! I bet some of you failed to read the note on my page. That's okay. Anyway, I mentioned there that I didn't have a computer any more (cuz I'm living somewhere new), so I had to put all my stories on a hold. I actually wasn't going to write the next Kakurenbo chapter until the summer, but... I felt like I needed to write another chapter, so that I didn't make some of you want me dead. *sweat-drops* Well, I scrambled around to make the time to go to a computer lab (with crappy hours) and worked for about three weeks or so on this chapter. Yes, it was really fun, but at the end I got tired of it, so I didn't really go back and check for errors. So if there are a lot, I'm sorry. With that said, I kept my promises about what would be in this chapter. Some of the mystery from the forest is revealed and Lina and Xellos get a little closer... uh, sort of. Look forward to more of that closeness in the next chapter. Oh, yeah, a new guest star in the story and an old one from a past chapter! Yay! Don't worry too much about the situation with Zelgadis right now--it'll be clear later on why he parted from Lina in the next chapter (hopefully). Enjoy this chapter! ^_^   
  


**Chapter Seven: Secrets **

  


Zelgadis rose from his chair by the bedside. "I'll come to visit again sooner than the last time," he promised. He sighed and put a hand to his forehead. "I have the misfortune of being caught up in Lina Inverse's life." 

Amelia nodded and smiled, though she wasn't pleased to see Zelgadis leave. "I hope that everything works out for Lina-san." 

"It'd just be easier on me if she'd be locked up or something," Zelgadis muttered. His grip tightened on the letter he had just received concerning Lina's welfare. 

"I wish I could meet Lina-san; she seems really interesting," Amelia added. "I've really enjoyed the letters you've sent me describing the things you two have done." 

"Trust me, Amelia, you wouldn't want to have connections to Lina Inverse," Zelgadis said. "She will eventually consume your life." 

Amelia sighed and rested her head on her hands. "It just sounds like so much fun traveling around and having adventures." 

Zelgadis smirked and placed his hand on Amelia's head. "I'm sure that you're going to get better soon and be able to go on adventures of your own. Hopefully nothing like what I have to put up with Lina." 

"If you can, bring Lina-san with you next time," Amelia suggested. 

Zelgadis sweat-dropped. "Knowing her, bringing her to see you would only make your condition worse," he said. 

"That's horrible, Zelgadis-san." 

"Maa na (Maybe so). I'm only saying what I think is true." Zelgadis picked up a bag from the back of the room. "Tell Phil that I'm sorry I didn't stay until he got back. It will take me about three days to get back to Hadin." 

"Have a safe trip!" Amelia said, waving him out the door. 

"Aa (Yeah)," Zelgadis said, holding up his hand to wave back as he left. As soon as he was outside he began cursing Lina. "Why do I live a cursed life?? I knew I should have _never_ agreed to help Lina where Xellos was concerned… Shikashi (However), I still have a score to settle with him, so I won't abandon Lina this time." With that in mind Zelgadis set off on his journey back to Hadin.   
  
*********   
  


Xellos stopped in the middle of the hall and turned back at Lina. "Now, Lina-san, since I've been having difficulties keeping you where I want you, I had to make a couple of changes to ensure that you're always by my side," he said. 

"Just tell me what your intentions are already," Lina said. Though she had just eaten a good meal, she was still tired from the aggravating trip she had just finished with Xellos. All she wanted was to get a good night's rest so that she could wake up refreshed with an idea to get away from the nuisance. 

"Hai, hai," Xellos complied. He opened a rather large door and motioned for Lina to enter. "I thought if I just explained what I was going to do carefully, you might not get too upset, but it seems you would much rather I be straight with you. From now on, Lina-san, you sleep in my room." 

Lina fell down as if she had been shot through the chest with an arrow. Xellos murmured "yare, yare" after she had landed on her face, but didn't bother to help her up. He had expected such a reaction and he mentally did a countdown of how long it would take Lina to switch from surprise to outrage. Precisely after he had counted five seconds, Lina leapt to her feet and grabbed Xellos by the collar. 

"Fuzakeru nai yo (Quit fooling around)!" Lina growled. She began shaking him as if that would put some sense into him. "I'm not sleeping in _your_ room! Joudan ja nai yo (You've got to be kidding)!" 

"Iie, I'm quite serious, Lina-san," Xellos said. He smiled though Lina could easily burn a hole through his face with her glare. "I won't allow myself to make the same mistake twice." 

"There is no way I'm gonna sleep in the same room as you…um, again!" Lina said, forgetting that she had roomed with Xellos during her stay at the theater house. 

Xellos shook his finger at her, though Lina's still had a grip on his collar. "Lina-san, Lina-san," he said, "you shouldn't be so uncooperative. After all, you should be thanking me for being so indulgent of you." 

"Indulgent??" 

Xellos's tone turned from derisive to ominous which his tone often did. "I didn't have to take the time to look for you myself. I'm sure informing the police that you were some kind of criminal on the loose, would motivate them to find you by all means necessary. Then all I would have to do is to get you out jail…if I could do so afterwards." 

Lina sweat-dropped and released Xellos, though not doing so in a manner that prevented him from falling back. "Don't remind me of things like that," she muttered. 

"Gomen nasai, Lina-san," Xellos apologized. He straightened himself and appeared unaffected by Lina's rough-handling. "I don't want to threaten you, but if I have to, I will." 

_Damn, you Xellos,_ Lina thought, holding her mouth closed so that she wouldn't speak what she thinking. _I swear that I'm not gonna be taking orders from you for much longer…or my name isn't Lina Inverse!_

"You are going to cooperate, yes, Lina-san?" Xellos asked. 

Lina had to try very hard not to snort at his question. She couldn't stand how he asked questions like that as if it would be fine if she simply refused. Lina was sure before the night was done, she was going to end up punching Xellos in the face or worse. 

"Yes," Lina said as if it were the most painful word in the universe to say. 

"I knew you'd come to reason," Xellos said. He began motioning to certain things in his large room. "What do you think, Lina-san? It is a pretty nice room, don't you think?" 

The more Xellos went on about his room and how privileged Lina would be to live in it now, the more her violent desires arose. Eventually, she was so annoyed with Xellos and his cheery mood that she grabbed a rather expensive looking vase sitting on a short table near one of the many windows. Xellos's back was turned away from her, so she carefully raised the object above her head. 

"…but I think the bed's the best part of the room, ne, Lina-san?" Xellos said. He faced her just as she was about to bring the vase crashing down on his head. "Ara (Oh)? What are you planning to do with that?" 

For a moment, Lina was tempted to strike Xellos even though it would not longer be a surprise to him. Xellos continued to look at her as if he had no clue what she was up to, which gradually reduced her desire to go through with it. She sighed and replaced the vase. 

"I was just admiring this vase…that's all," she said. 

"You're acting a little strangely, Lina-san," Xellos noted. He held up a finger as if he had a great idea. "You must just be tired from our long trip. Why don't you lie down for a bit?" 

"That's what I'd like to do," Lina admitted. 

"Douzo (Go ahead), Lina-san," Xellos said. He extended his hand to his bed. "Lie anywhere that you want." 

"I'm not lying on your bed!!" Lina said. When Xellos simply looked like he was going to question why she wouldn't, she held up her fist to stop him. "Don't even think about it!" 

Xellos laughed and waved his hands. "All right, I'll stop joking around," Xellos said. "I thought it might be amusing to tell you that we were sharing a bed, but obviously you didn't think the same way." 

Lina allowed herself not to get angry over the fact Xellos was admitting that he was purposely playing games with her. "What are you saying?" she demanded. 

Xellos walked over to one of the manner doors in his room, and motioned with a finger for Lina to come over. Lina did so, though carefully since she didn't want to be surprised by Xellos again, and stood just in the doorway. She blinked, finding herself looking into a much smaller bedroom except there were no windows on the walls. The ceiling of the room was incredibly high, which had the only window that allowed light into the room. Lina turned to Xellos who was smiling as usual. 

"What's this?" she asked. 

"Your room," Xellos said. He scratched the side of his head. "Since this door is the only way to get out of the room, I'd thought it would be a good idea for you to use it since I rarely use this extra room of mine." 

Lina remained calm for five seconds before her fury was unleashed again. "Then why the hell were you leading me to believe I had to sleep in the same bed as you??" she roared. 

"Maa (Well), I thought it would be a good joke--" 

Lina's fist had landed firmly in his face, an action that had obviously caught Xellos off -guard. Lina wasn't too surprised she had done it without thinking, for she had predicted earlier that something like that would happen. She ignored Xellos's remark that Lina didn't have much of a sense of humor, and she stepped into the room to get a better inspection. 

Lina glanced at herself in the dresser's mirror, hating that she was still wearing the clothes she had bought to disguise herself as a man. "I really gotta get out of these clothes," she said. 

"You're welcome to use the bathroom," Xellos said, though he was still holding his face. When he removed his hands, he had a rather red mark on his face shaped like Lina's fist. "I'm lucky my nose isn't bleeding." 

"I bet an inhumane person like you doesn't even bleed…" Lina mumbled. She sighed and plopped down on the bed next to a desk that was sitting in the corner of the room. "I guess I can deal with this for now as long as my door locks." 

"Of course it does," Xellos said. He pulled out a key he must have had in his pocket and tossed it to Lina. "Demo I don't know why you would need to lock your door." 

Lina looked at him as if he were crazy. "I'm living with you--there's no better reason to lock the door than that." 

"Whatever you say, Lina-san." He gave her a look as if he didn't understand where she was coming from. "Well, I have a few things I need to take care of before I go off to sleep, so if you need me, I'll be in the first floor's study." 

"Only thing I'll need you to do for me is to die quietly…" 

Xellos turned back before he left. "Did you say something?" 

Lina smiled as if someone were forcing her lips into a curve. "Iie, betsu ni (No, nothing)." Xellos smiled back as if he knew better, though didn't care to point that out, and finally left the room. Lina immediately let her smile drop and fell back on the bed with a frustrated noise. The only thing she had to be comforted about was the fact that Zelgadis hadn't shown up to gloat that she ended up exactly where he had predicted she would. However, even that comfort would soon be taken away from her.   
  
*********   
  


Lina turned in her bed for what seemed to be the hundredth time. She forced her eyes to stay shut, in an attempt to let her body know that she wanted to go to sleep. It wasn't, of course, that she wasn't tired (being frustrated with Xellos had drained most of her energy), it was just that she couldn't get comfortable in the bed no matter what she did. The sheets were incredibly soft, as was the mattress, and Lina was sure that it was no cheap bed. It was certainly better than the one she had used when she was staying at the Rossburg Theater House; she recalled the sheets and pillow were extremely scratchy as if they had been made from the same material one makes a sac. It was true that Xellos's house had much surface comfort, such as the bath Lina had taken. It was nice, for a change, to sit down in an actual tub surrounded by hot water and suds from the bubble bath. Even all that surface comfort, however, could not defeat the underlying discomfort Xellos brought by owning the house. She couldn't even see him, and hadn't seen him since he had went to his study, yet it was just the same as if Xellos were peering right in her face with his incessant smile. The recent events flashed through Lina's mind as she turned again, each failure to escape from Xellos playing in chronological order. Lina guessed she had been doing this for about an hour, since at one point she began counting how many times the clock on the wall had ticked. She quickly had to stop doing that because it was beginning to make her want to get up and rip the pendulum off the contraption. 

"This isn't working…" Lina sighed. She rested on her back, her eyes still closed, and pulled the covers down to her waist. "I can't sleep knowing Xellos is in this house!" 

Lina released a frustrated breath and let her eyes open. She slipped out of the bed and then walked over to the right of her bed, where there was a wallpapered wall. Somehow Lina imagined there would be window there, and in fact, she wondered if Xellos had recently gotten rid of the windows on the wall to prevent her from using them. She thought it was ridiculous since his room was on the top floor, but Lina supposed Xellos was aware that it wasn't above her to fashion some kind of rope from her sheet and escape. Lina frowned and placed her hands over the wall, trying to feel for a window. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, to her disappointment, so she dropped her hands down at her side. Not soon afterwards, Lina let her head drop against the wall and gave a third sigh into it. No matter how tired she was, she wasn't going to get any sleep unless she figured out a new way to get out of Xellos's clutches. She did have the option of waiting until Zelgadis found out about her predicament, but Lina had no clue as to how Zelgadis received such information, nor how quickly he would receive it. She also wondered if her swordsman friend would come to her aid or if he would let her suffer. 

Lina sweat-dropped and laughed into the wall this time. "Masaka (No way)," she muttered. "Zel wouldn't do that to me--we're pals." Lina's words sounded hollow even to her. For once she imagined herself in Zelgadis's shoes and came to the conclusion that she wouldn't be so willing to aid him if he had gotten her into such a mess. She decided she was going to have to rely on the fact that she and Zelgadis were two very different people. 

Lina was so caught up in her thoughts that she neglected to hear the sound of her door unlocking. The creak of the door, however, did draw her attention, and she pulled away from the wall so suddenly that she nearly lost her balance when she turned. Catching her balance at that moment was in vain after she looked toward the door; the sight she witnessed was enough to knock her off her feet again. 

"Oya (Oh)? Lina-san, are you still awake?" Xellos asked. Apparently he had just finished in the bathroom, which explained the towel he was holding around his lower half. His purple hair was still wet and dripping water onto his shoulders. "I thought you would have been asleep by now." 

Lina was successful in not dropping down to her knees in shock, but was unable to prevent her stuttering and blushing. "Na-Na-Na-Nani…ko (Wha-Wha-Wha-What is)…" she stammered. 

Xellos held up a finger, leaving only his left hand holding up his towel. "You really should get some sleep, you know." 

Lina remained incoherent for a while, her anger unable to decide which issue to address first. There was the matter of him being unable to unlock her door, which he "conveniently" failed to mentioned; there was the matter of him coming into her room in the middle of the night; and finally there was the matter of him being in her presence half-naked that Lina could equally chew Xellos out for. Presently, Lina felt that Xellos's lack of clothing was the issue preventing her from addressing the others, so she eventually came out of her bewildered trance and pointed at him as if he had created the greatest crime ever. 

"What the hell are you doing, Xellos??" Lina demanded. "You're only wearing a towel!!" 

Xellos made a sound as if he was unaware of what she was referring to until he looked down at himself. "Sou desu ne (That's right)…" he said. He returned his gaze to her with his hypocritical innocent look. "Jaa (Well then), would you rather I got rid of the towel?" 

"Na…nani??" Lina had thought she was getting better at predicting what kinds of things Xellos would say, but nothing prepared her for that comment. When her face was completely red, Xellos laughed, and Lina came back to her senses. 

Lina didn't need to think more than a second about what her next action was; she simply grabbed the nightstand beside her bed. It wasn't very heavy (or at least not in Lina's case), but it was made out of a sturdy wood that would surely give Xellos a concussion upon impact with his head. "Fuzakeru nai yo (Quit fooling around)!!" she said. 

It was no easy task dodging a small table and holding onto a towel at the same time. "Don't get so angry, Lina-san!" Xellos said. He held up a hand as if to say he gave up. "I wasn't serious." His grin afterwards suggested otherwise. 

"Get out!!" Lina said. She went over to a bookcase on the wall next to the dresser and began throwing the thick books at Xellos. 

Xellos did as Lina requested, though he had no choice but to do so. A book skimmed the top of his head just before he had gotten himself out of the room and other books hit the door immediately after he had closed it. He waited for the sound of Lina relocking the door before he did anything else. 

"Lina-san, I truly didn't know you would still be awake," Xellos said, knowing full well that she was still beside the door. 

"Right," Lina said, glaring at her side of the door as if she could see Xellos. 

"It's the truth," Xellos said. He was unable to not laugh at his use of that word, and of course, Lina only became less convinced. 

"I'm not an idiot, Xellos!" 

"I'm not suggesting you are." Xellos grinned, perfectly aware that Lina could sense that he was. "Lina-san, all I was trying to do was get my robe from the closet in there." 

"And why didn't you get it _before_ you took a bath??" 

"I didn't realize that I didn't have any of my other robes clean." Lina could imagine him rubbing his head on the other side of the door. "You see, I've been chasing after you so long, I haven't had much time to ensure that my clothes were all clean." 

Lina rolled her eyes, amazed at how quickly he could come up with logical lies. "Okay, then, why is it that you can unlock my door?" she asked. 

"Of course, I have a key of my own," Xellos said. You didn't think I would make a part of my own room inaccessible to me, did you?" 

Lina was positive her face was so red, it probably looked like it was on fire. "Goodnight, Xellos!" she said. 

"Demo, Lina-san--" 

"I said, 'Goodnight!'" 

Lina waited until she was sure that Xellos was away from the door before she took the chair from the desk and barricaded the door with it. For a while she couldn't even bring herself to get back into bed, worried that Xellos would try to enter once again. Lina liked to think that Xellos had more sense than that, but she couldn't be completely sure. This proved her theory that taking her eyes off Xellos for even a second was dangerous. Xellos's side of the room had been quiet ever since Lina had made him leave, but she couldn't quite be content enough to lie back down. After Lina had stood there for a complete hour, however, she began to yawn uncontrollably. Following her yawns, her eyes refused to remain open. Lina woke up with a start after she had discovered that she had dozed off for a minute. 

"Kuso (Damnit)…" Lina said, rubbing her eyes. "Now that I want to stay awake, I can't." She wasn't sure when it exactly happened, but the next morning she discovered that she had fallen asleep on the floor next to the chair.   
  
*********   
  


_I was little slow before, but now I'm fully awake,_ Lina thought as she followed Xellos in the hall. He was yammering on about something that Lina had no interest in. He had awoken her earlier than she had wanted and wasted no time commanding her to do ridiculous things around the house. She supposed that they weren't that ridiculous for someone who was a maid, but even if Lina acknowledged Xellos's ownership of her, she would never reduce her status to that of a maid. Anytime Xellos requested her to do anything of the like, she only thought of it as some kind of pointless attempt to keep her busy. She had tried several times that day to sneak off and explore his house, but Xellos would always pop up right before she could leave and tell her what her next job was. 

"…possibly have people in there while it looks like that," Lina caught Xellos saying. For a moment, she thought to ask Xellos what he was talking about, but since she hadn't bothered to listen to much of his other babble, she thought it pointless to pretend to be interested now. 

_This time I gonna do this next thing fast enough to allow me time to look around,_ she thought. _I'm certain that even someone as careful as Xellos has got to have some kind of evidence he's a criminal. If I can get my hands on that kind of proof, then Xellos will have no choice but to release me of my servitude if he wants to remain out of jail. Then again, Xellos does have more influence than I do; if I try to blackmail him, he might just use his power to get him off the hook, and I still end up losing! Kuso! Maybe I better think of something a little more foolproof if I want to--_

"Lina-san?" 

Lina stopped five inches from running into Xellos. "Um…what is it?" she asked, pretending she had meant to stop on such short notice. 

"Like I said, this is where I want you to do your next job," Xellos said. He opened the double-doors and revealed a ballroom or something of the like. 

Lina stepped in and looked around, noticing how much space there was in the room. "What am I supposed to do in here?" she wondered. 

"Haven't you been listening to anything I've been saying?" Xellos said behind her. His tone suggested that he knew that she hadn't, but had expected as much. 

Lina folded her arms over her chest. "Just hurry up and tell me, so I can get it done," she said. 

"The floor," Xellos said. "It needs to be scrubbed." 

Though Lina could say scrubbing Xellos's back that one time was the worst job he had given her, this one came in at a close second. "Scrub this floor??" she said. She turned to him and pointed to the room as if he had failed to notice its size. "Do you know how long it will take me to do that??" 

"Well, I wouldn't ask you to do it, Lina-san, if I didn't need it to be done," Xellos said. 

Lina looked back at the floor and imagined herself on all fours, scrubbing it. "My back still hurts from falling asleep on the floor…" she muttered. 

"I'm sure it won't take you more than an hour and a half," Xellos said. When Lina faced him again, he was holding a bucket and brush. "After all, you are Lina Inverse, deshou (right)? This should be child's play for you." 

"Where did you get these from?" Lina said. She took the brush and bucket, surprised that the bucket was filled with water and soap. "You didn't have these just a second ago." 

"Saa (Who knows)?" Xellos shrugged as if it truly were a mystery to him. 

_He has to be purposely trying to make me go crazy,_ Lina thought. _There's no other explanation!_ She placed the bucket on the floor and let out a sigh. "This time I'll cooperate, but don't think you can continue to order me to do stupid things like this. I'm positive that you have a maid or maids, so I won't let you make me do work that I'm sure you're paying someone else to do." 

Xellos just grinned. "Wakarimashita (I understand)," he said. "I appreciate your cooperation, despite your unwillingness to do such menial tasks. I simply want everything to go smoothly for tonight, that's all." 

Lina raised a brow, hoping that Xellos would elaborate on the matter, but Xellos simply smiled after his final comment and left out the double doors. She frowned, wondering what Xellos was planning for the evening, and what those plans meant for her. Soon, however, she realized that she needed to work quickly on her next task (no matter how tedious Lina found it to be), so that she could do some more investigating. She rolled up sleeves and let herself forget for the moment that she was working for Xellos. That was the hardest part of her job, since Lina couldn't imagine herself cleaning a floor otherwise. The only exception was when she was living with her sister, who didn't tolerate her making messes. Though Lina usually didn't like to remember how her sister frightened her then, she preferred the thought of her sister threatening to kill her if she didn't clean up a mess rather than the thought of her obligation to obey Xellos. 

As soon as Lina bent over to wash the first area of the floor, her back not so politely reminded her that she had failed to sleep on a bed last night. She hissed a little at the pain, but continued to do the scrubbing regardless. Somehow, she thought, as she was cleaning the upper leftmost corner of the floor, she knew that Xellos was aware that her back was sore, and that was the reason he had assigned her to do such a back-breaking task. It made sense since was he was the one that rudely woke her up and asked her in his "Xellos-ish" manner what she was doing sleeping on the floor. Lina had remarked that she _always_ slept on the floor, especially when there was a comfortable bed nearby. Xellos had laughed and purposely (Lina had thought) ignored her sarcasm. 

_It'll be worth it,_ Lina thought, going across the floor to the right. _When I finally become free of Xellos, I'm going to kill him. First, I'll start with that face of his and make sure that he can never grin, smile, or smirk again… Next, I'm gonna…_

Lina found that her work was much more satisfying and went by more quickly when she thought of what she was going to do to Xellos when she had the freedom to do so. By the time she had finished half of the floor, she was laughing to herself, imagining what kind of pain she could inflict upon the man. She even began to forget what she was doing after a while, though her back didn't let her forget and her hands were beginning to prune from dipping into the bucket so often. Lina paused when she was about two-thirds done and looked across at the wet floor. What she had done at the beginning was nearly dry, but most of it was still shiny from the water and soap. Lina glanced at her reflection for a moment and noticed that she looked really worn out. She cringed and touched her face, thinking that if she continued to let Xellos work her nerves, the stress would take away every ounce of beauty she possessed. 

"Looking at me now makes it hard to believe I won a beauty contest not too long ago," Lina muttered. She laughed afterwards and dunked her brush back into the bucket. "What am I saying? I probably could have won that contest even when I looked like this!" 

Lina quieted downed a little, noticing how much her voice carried in the empty room, and bent over to start working again. She was getting used to the pain and her progress encouraged her to do the rest as quickly as possible. While she scrubbed as fast as she possibly could, she let her mind concentrate on what her next actions would be and not what she was currently doing. Lina figured that Xellos was lurking around somewhere on the first floor and that if she slipped out of the room quietly, she could sneak up the stairs to the next floor and have the opportunity to investigate. Being the optimistic that Lina was, she imagined herself finding some kind of great evidence like a stolen painting. Lina had heard about several art thefts in the past and wouldn't be surprised that Xellos was behind a few of them. Lina was so caught up in her anticipation of finding something to incriminate Xellos that she didn't notice when she was nearly done. She was not far from the fourth and last corner of the room and didn't even notice that she was going to soon hit the wall behind her. Lina smiled, but didn't turn around immediately to finish the last few feet of floor that wasn't wet. She needed to rest a moment to sigh about ending the arduous job. However, at the end of her satisfying moment, Lina's smile began to fade. She had been moving across the floor backwards in attempt to not crawl over the floor that she had just recently wet, thus preventing her from noticing anything behind her until she backed into it. The room didn't have any furniture in the way (which Lina presumed was not always the case), so Lina didn't take much notice of anything in the room beside the floor. Now she felt the back hairs on her neck standing up and a strange feeling as if she was being watched. There was about five foot-long squares of floor behind Lina that she had yet to clean; it seemed as though whatever was wrong in the room was coming from that direction. Lina sensed that she would be better to not bother with it and just finish what she was doing. However, while Lina could ignore her back's pain, she couldn't ignore something akin to sensing there was a ghost in the room. Lina didn't rule out that theory since Xellos had the type of house that seemed it would welcome ghosts and all the like. 

Lina turned back and grimaced at what she saw. _A ghost would have been better,_ she thought. "What the hell are you doing back there??" she demanded. 

"Iya (Well), I just realized watching you work is very entertaining." 

Lina's grip tightened on her brush. "Xellos…!" she growled. Lina blinked for a second, looking around the room for an additional door. "Ch…Chotto matte (Wa…Wait a minute)… How the hell did you get back here??" He was leaning in the corner of the room as if he had been there the entire time (which Lina couldn't immediately rule out). 

Xellos chuckled only long enough to allow Lina to become more angry than incredulous. "Mochiron (Of course), sore wa…himitsu desu," he said. 

"Xellos…" Lina wondered how far she could shove the brush down Xellos's throat. 

Xellos wagged a finger at her. "Lina-san, you should know that every rich person has secret entrances somewhere in their house," he went on. 

"Don't try to put yourself in the same boat as anyone else," Lina muttered. "There can't possibly be anyone else in the world like you." 

"Sore wa doumo (Thanks)." He bowed his head as if had accomplished something. 

"That wasn't a compliment!" Lina said. She stood up where it was dry and faced Xellos. "Just tell me how long you've been there!" 

"…Not too long," Xellos said. His grin suggested otherwise. "You know, Lina-san, you look good scrubbing floors. I think I should have you doing that more often." 

Lina could tell she was losing control of her anger again, since she was laughing as if she thought Xellos was joking. "Ne, Xellos?" she asked, her smile fighting not to fall into a scowl. 

"Hai, Lina-san?" Xellos seemed to be unaware of her lack of amusement, though he himself was not without amusement. 

"Do you want this in your face again?" Lina asked. She held up her fist and used her other hand to crack it. "Well??" 

Xellos laughed as if he were nervous, though Lina was sure he was just patronizing her. "Iie, I'd prefer not to experience _that_ again," he said. He rubbed his face. "You have the kind of touch that lingers for long time." 

_Why does he have to say such creepy things??_ Lina thought. "Whatever," she snapped. "Just move out of the way, so I can be finished with this work." 

"Hai, hai," Xellos said, stepping aside. 

_Chikusho (Damnit)!_ Lina thought as she scrubbed the rest of the floor, doing her best not to freak over the fact that Xellos was watching her. _Why the hell did he have to pop up before I was even finished?? How the hell am I supposed to get a chance to look around when he's acting like we're joined by a rope??_

"Iya, Lina-san," Xellos said, after she had thrown the brush back into the bucket and handed it to him, "the floor looks great. I really have to thank you for helping me out." 

"Don't make it sound like I did it out of the kindness of my heart," Lina said. "We both know that some way or other, you were gonna make sure I had to scrub this floor myself, whether I liked it or not." 

"Yare, yare (Tsk, tsk)," Xellos said, putting on his "I-can't-believe-you-said-that" face, "don't make me sound like I _intentionally_ think of things you wouldn't want to do. Somehow they just end up being that way." 

Lina held her head as if to prevent it from exploding. "Xellos! I can't stand here listening to your lies all day--just let me get on with the next stupid task!" she said. _Mou ii (Forget it)…_ she mentally sighed. _Xellos, at least for today, isn't going to give me a break. I'd be better off waiting for Zel to show up than trying to snoop around Xellos's madhouse._

"It's very simple, Lina-san," Xellos assured her (tried to, at least). "I just want you to tidy up a certain room of mine, that's all. Then I'll let you have a break so you can eat. I bet you're getting pretty hungry by now, ne?" 

_I know that he's getting to me when even food doesn't get me excited…_ Lina thought, simply frowning at him. She hoped by the time Zelgadis came into the picture, her mind wouldn't be too deteriorated from Xellos overexposure.   
  
*********   
  


Lina was grateful that for once Xellos didn't lie about a "simple task." He had said the same about organizing books in one of his studies; the books turned out to be the thickest reference books Lina had even seen. They were all so heavy that Lina couldn't even lift more than two (if even that many) at a time. Once again, Xellos played the "you're-Lina-Inverse" card, when she complained about how difficult the chore had been. Lina was currently in some kind of showcase room, not unlike a room one would find in a museum. The room certainly had pieces that looked like they belonged in one, so Lina guessed that it was a room that was designed to display the collection of items Xellos possessed. She had never seen any like the various statues and other displayed pieces, so it wouldn't do her good to claim that some of them were stolen. Lina wouldn't throw out the possibility that they were, but she was sure that for objects such as these, Xellos had some kind of document claiming he was the rightful owner. 

Lina dusted off ancient-looking plate resting on a pedestal, like all the other items in the room, and then went on to the next one. Truthfully, Lina didn't believe that the items needed to be dusted, but Lina supposed she had to humor Xellos anyway. A few of the items, like a stone statue with a green jewel in the center that Lina next stepped up to, were boxed around in glass. Xellos had instructed her to clean the glass with the cloth he had given her. Lina barely rubbed the fabric against the glass; if she didn't know any better, she would have said that no one had touched the glass box since it had been constructed. She was beginning to get a little frustrated from noticing how useless her job was, but the various items she came across kept her slightly entertained. Each of the items also had a small plate at the base of the pedestal that described what it was and where it was from. Lina hadn't heard of some of the places, but many of those she did, were places that few people had traveled. Judging by the exoticism of the objects in the room, Lina was ninety-percent sure that Xellos had stolen everything in the room. She wondered if she could do some investigating on the places mentioned on the plates and find out if any one living there was missing statues or the like. 

She lazily ran her duster over one of the last items, her interest in the objects almost gone by the end of her job. Lina moved on to the pedestal over to her left and stopped when she noticed that this particular item was covered with a black sheet. She blinked, looking at everything else in the room, and saw that nothing else was covered as this particular object was. Whatever was behind the sheet, Lina was sure that it had to be something extremely interesting, extremely rare, or both. Lina rested the duster on a nearby table and slowly pulled the sheet away. There was no way she was going to ignore her curiosity when Xellos had made her do something so obviously trivial. 

"What the…" Lina said, revealing a bright red jewel under the sheet. It was held in place by small supports on both sides, but it was moving slightly when Lina had completely uncovered it. For a moment, she almost thought someone had actually captured a live fire within a rock because the jewel was so alike a flame. She touched it, smiling when she found it to be cold, and finally allowed herself to be convinced that it was simply a jewel. Lina, being the treasure-seeker that she was, was compelled to take the jewel for herself. Not only did she believe it would be worth hundreds of times what she owed Xellos, but it was also incredibly eye-pleasing. Lina's favorite kind of treasure was the kind that shined. 

Lina began to return the sheet over the item, until she noticed that the jewel also had a plate describing what it was and where it had originated. She, of course, read what written since she wondered if there were more of these jewels to be found, but reading the plate only resulted in her complete outrage. Lina reread the description to make sure she hadn't imagined it and then released the sheet she had been intending to replace over the pedestal. 

"Masaka (It can't be)!" Lina tugged on her hair, not caring if happened to pull some out. "How in the hell did Xellos…??" 

Lina tried to figure out when Xellos would have had the opportunity to get the jewel. "…Naru hodo (I see)…" she said, her expression becoming deadly. "Somehow Xellos managed to get his hands on the Houshu treasure while I was almost being sacrificed… Yes, that has to be it…" 

Lina turned and left out of the room, not bothering to cover up the jewel again. "Xellos, I'm going to kill you…" she muttered as she began on a Xellos hunt. It was hard to stay as mad as she initially was, when she was having trouble finding him. Lina found it ironic when she actually wanted to see Xellos that she couldn't find him, and when she didn't want to see him, he always popped up. Her first instinct was to quit checking in various rooms on the first floor and to just call out for him; however, Lina had a feeling that Xellos would notice her foreboding tone and try to escape. She wanted to just sneak up on him and beat the hell out of him before he had a chance to explain himself. If Xellos happened to live after she was done giving him a beat-down, then she would allow him to explain what happened that night. Lina pretty much had the whole picture herself, but she wanted to make sure she was right if Xellos lived to tell her the tale. 

"Where the hell is he??" Lina said. She neared the stairs and decided to explore the next floor. She heard a knocking at the front door when she had ascended about three steps and traveled up no further. She quickly stepped back down and waited a while to see if Xellos himself would answer the door. The knocking came a second time before Lina heard footsteps not too far from where she was. Lina followed the sound and discovered Xellos was indeed on the first floor, yet she was positive that she had already checked the area he had came from. For the moment, Lina didn't bother with that fact and followed far enough behind Xellos that he wouldn't notice that she was trailing him. Before Xellos reached the door, Lina hid behind the doorway of the next room, so that she could hear who was visiting Xellos's house. She wondered if it was one of his shady business associates that would give Lina a chance to incriminate Xellos. 

Xellos opened the door and smiled at the person behind it. "Zelgadis-san," he said, "what an unexpected surprise. What brings you to my home this afternoon?" 

Lina could hear Zelgadis snorting, though she could only see part of Xellos from where she was standing. "What other reason would I come to this house?" he said. "I came here to see Lina, of course." 

_Good ol' Zel!_ Lina thought, keeping her cheer silent. _I can't believe he's already made it back to Hadin!_

"Sou desu ka (Is that right)?" Xellos said. He leaned on his staff and made a sound as if he were thinking. "Demo…what makes you think that Lina-san is here?" 

"Don't play dumb with me," Zelgadis snapped. Lina pictured him reaching for his sword. "I know that Lina is here!" 

"Sou desu ka." Lina knew for sure his repetition of that phrase was making Zelgadis even angrier. "Just what makes you think that she's here?" 

"I had a friend of mine watching Lina while I was gone, and he sent me a letter informing me that he saw you and Lina leave Bravo a few days ago." 

Lina swallowed when she heard Xellos laugh. There was something very vicious underlying in his cheery laughter; it was a little like a cake that had the appearance of tasting good, but was actually poisoned. She really began to wonder how Xellos would act if he stopped pretending that he was nice. 

"I'm certain that your friend was mistaken," Xellos said. "It's true that I was in Bravo a few days ago, but I failed to find Lina-san, much to my dismay. I was going to ask you where she was, but it seems that you are as clueless as I am." 

Lina caught sight of Zelgadis's hand gripping Xellos's collar. "Who do you think you're kidding??" he demanded. "There's no way Lina would have left Bravo unless she was dragged out of there by you!" 

"Yare, yare, getting so upset like this," Xellos said. He calmly released himself from Zelgadis's grip. "Let me ask you this, Zelgadis-san: did you return to Bravo and make sure that Lina-san had indeed left there? Or did you simply run all the way back here to confront me at my home?" 

"I…" 

"Sou ka (I see)," Xellos said. He shook his head at him. "For all we both know, Lina-san could still be in Bravo. After all, you're not a hundred percent sure that your friend couldn't have been mistaken, are you?" 

Lina didn't like that Xellos had managed to make Zelgadis quiet, but eventually her friend found words again. "I'll admit that I'm not positive that my friend didn't make a mistake, but I am positive that Lina is here now that I've talked to you!" he returned. "If Lina wasn't back here in Hadin with you, you'd still be out there looking for her!" 

"I _do_ have other things I have to take care of besides chasing Lina-san around," Xellos said. He pretended to be in somewhat of a rush. "In fact, I have much I need to do at the moment, so I'm sorry I can't help you find Lina-san, Zelgadis-san. However, please let me know if you do find her." 

"Xellos, I'm not leaving here until I speak to Lina!" 

"Demo, Zelgadis-san, wouldn't you agree it would be impolite to force your way into someone else's house?" Zelgadis became quiet again and Xellos smirked. "I might have to inform the police if you insist on being so persistent…shikashi (however), I don't think I'll have to resort to that, ne?" 

By the time Lina heard Zelgadis growl, she knew that it was all over; Zelgadis didn't stand a chance getting into the house, or at least, at the moment he didn't have a chance. She sighed and told herself not to worry about it too much; she should simply be comforted at the fact that Zelgadis was back in town. If she could manage a way to communicate with him, then she would have a chance to escape once again. 

"Well, Zelgadis-san, once again I'm sorry that I couldn't help you out," Xellos said. "Perhaps if Lina hadn't left here in the first place, we'd both know where she was right now. Well, have a nice a day!" 

Lina could clearly hear Zelgadis cursing after Xellos shut the door in his face, but that only seem to cause Xellos more amusement. He stood there grinning to himself for a few seconds before Lina came into his view. Xellos didn't stop grinning or even pretend to be surprised. 

"Oya, Lina-san," Xellos said, "it's not nice to eavesdrop, you know." 

Lina wasn't too surprised either. "So you knew I was there the whole time, huh?" she guessed. 

"Ee (Yes), but I didn't see the harm of you listening in," Xellos said. He went into his "I'm-oblivious-to-your-anger" mode and put his hand to his chin as if thinking. "I can't exactly allow the two of you to get into close contact again. I mean, you and Zelgadis-san are always managing to come up with ways to get away from me. It wouldn't be very prudent of me to give you the opportunity to escape once again. After all, I spent a great deal of time searching for you, and I don't intend to let anyone help you leave this place again." Lina had to let her anger go; screaming at him about how it was nuts to keep her away from her friend wasn't going to do her any good. 

"Well, it seems that you're finished with your last task," Xellos said, interrupting her session of calming herself down. "We can have some lunch now, if you'd like." 

"No, there's something I want you to do for me first," Lina said. She ignored the continuation of his oblivious mode. "You're going to tell me the _whole_ truth about what happened in the Houshu Forest." 

"The Houshu Forest? What do you--" 

"Xellos, I managed to not go off on you for sending Zelgadis away, but if you play dumb about this, I'm not going to be so composed about it." 

Xellos grinned and held his staff with both hands. "And just why would I tell you the details of that night?" he asked. 

Lina didn't like his tone, but she forced herself not to become intimidated by it. "You almost got me killed that night, so I have a right to know," she said. 

"Iya (Well), I think it pretty much evens out," Xellos said. He released one hand from the staff and used it to count with. "I think that I've saved you life enough times that it cancels out the one time I put your life in danger. After all, I saved you from the pit and I prevented you from being a sacrifice that day. Let's not forget that I also shielded you from a chair Zelgadis was trying to throw at you. You know, if that had hit you, it would have been pretty bad." 

"I can't believe you're justifying putting my life in danger just because you happened to come back later and pull me out of danger again!" Lina said. "You shouldn't have even given me to those Houshu in the first place!!" 

"Lina-san, Lina-san," Xellos said, waving his free hand. "I can tell that seeing the Houshu treasure in my collection room has gotten you upset, but I think that after you've had a nice meal, you'll forget all about that, ne?" 

"No!!" Lina stepped up to him so that there was little space between them. "I'm not going to do another damn thing until you explain how you got your hands on that jewel!!" 

"Hmm…" Xellos said, "perhaps I would have been more willing to give you the answers you are looking for, if you hadn't injured my face last night. As I had said, it did hurt quite a bit." 

Lina sweat-dropped. _I know he's only bringing that up to make it seem like it's my fault he's so difficult,_ she thought. _Still…even though I'll never apologize for giving him what he deserved, it doesn't help me any to get on his bad side…_

"I can't believe you're still complaining about that," Lina said. "It didn't even leave a mark." When Xellos just grinned and shrugged, Lina was tempted to forget trying to stay on his good side and to just beat him until he gave her the answers she wanted. 

"Then again, Lina-san, I suppose I can understand that you don't have the best sense of humor," Xellos went on. Lina really wondered if he had some kind of superhuman knowledge of exactly what to say to make her even angrier. "Maybe I should have gone easy on the jokes, knowing the kind of temper you have." 

_Xellos, one day I'm gonna--!_ Lina thought. 

Xellos snapped his fingers. "Sou ka (I know)!" he said. "I wasn't going to ask you to do this because you don't seem to like any of the tasks I ask you to do, but if you cooperate with me tonight, then I suppose I can give you the answers you want from me." 

Lina felt herself regretting for even thinking to ask. "What will I have to do?" 

"Maa (Well), I'm just having a little get-together tonight, and I'd like you to be my hostess. You know, greet the guests and charm everyone with your 'Lina-Inverse'-style." 

"Is that all?" Lina couldn't decide how she should take his comment about charming people, but she was sure that Xellos's get-together couldn't be anything good. 

"Hai, that's all." Xellos nodded as if it would work out very well. "I think this will be very easy for you Lina-san. When you're not scowling and threatening people, you can be very charming in your own way." 

"Sore wa doumo…" Lina muttered. 

"So, Lina-san, do we have a deal?" Xellos asked. 

Lina sighed, knowing that there was no guarantee that Xellos would come through with his part, but it was her only option of getting the answers she wanted. "Fine," she agreed. 

"Great," Xellos said. "You won't regret this, Lina-san." 

Lina thought if Xellos wanted her to believe that, he wouldn't have said it as if she was already in store for a lot more than she bargained for.   
  
*********   
  


"Please enjoy yourself," Lina said, trying to sound as polite as she could. She waited until the two guests had passed her before letting herself express her discomfort. When Xellos had told her what she was going to be doing, Lina thought that there wasn't much that Xellos could do to make it an unpleasant experience. However, Lina hadn't expected Xellos to hand her over to some kind of make-over expert and force her to dress as formally as the rest of the guests were. In truth, Lina didn't really like dresses; when she was in the beauty contest, she had enjoyed wearing the dress simply because it was an opportunity to show up her competitors. If just having to wear a dress wasn't bad enough, Lina was forced to wear a dress she didn't like. Given that Lina wasn't an expert on dresses, she did know what she did and didn't like, and she didn't like what she was wearing. First of all the dress was a light pink, a color that Lina wouldn't mind never existed. Considering that Lina herself didn't look her age, it was frustrating to be wearing a color that made her childish appearance more apparent. This wasn't merely Lina's own exaggeration; several of the guests had commented on what a lovely "girl" Xellos had working for him. Even when Lina claimed that she was a "woman," not a "girl," the guests just claimed that she was "adorable." Lina was lucky then that she hadn't taken off the dress and ripped it to shreds. The design of the dress wasn't too bad, except for two points: the collar and the back. When Lina had selected her gown for the beauty contest, she purposely made sure that she didn't show off areas where she was supposedly lacking. The cut of the collar on the gown she had worn had been designed to show off her neck and beautiful shoulders, not the area she was most sensitive about. Such was not the case with the dress the woman Xellos hired gave her. When Lina first put it on and noticed that it was showing off her chest, she tried to ask the woman for another dress. The woman, oblivious to Lina's problem as Lina would have imagined Xellos would have been, claimed that Xellos had specifically requested Lina wear the dress and that the woman was in no position to go against his wishes. Lina wasn't too surprised that Xellos's employees, like himself, were people difficult to get along with. The back of Lina's dress, which was practically split completely open, caused Lina discomfort, but she didn't bother to express her displeasure. The woman who had given her the dress went on about how lovely she looked, but Lina didn't think the same way. It wasn't exactly warm where she was standing and to make matters worse, the woman had styled up her long hair so that her cold air was free to move all over her near bare back and neck. Thankfully her dress had full sleeves, but that didn't really compensate for the problem in the back. 

Lina sighed and pulled a loose curl away from her eye. She could at least be comforted in the fact that she didn't look as haggardly as she had when she was scrubbing the floor. If she had been greeting the doors in that state, she wouldn't have been so courteous to allow the guests to give comments such as "where on earth did Xellos get such a hideous maid?" The whole deal would have been off at that point. 

Then again, Lina hadn't seen Xellos for a couple of hours. After he had sent her away with the make-over woman, she had yet to see him. It was all well and good, she supposed, because she had no desire to see how Xellos would react when he saw her in the dress. If at all possible, Lina hoped that she could make it completely through the night without seeing Xellos once in the pink nightmare. 

Lina wasn't sure how many people she had greeted into the house before a woman Lina guessed to be around her age came and tapped her on the shoulder. There hadn't been a guest arriving at the door for a while, but Lina just assumed that there would be ones who wouldn't arrive on time. "Hai?" Lina asked, wondering who the woman was. She was dressed in a simple black evening gown, but Lina couldn't say that she remembered letting her in. Hopefully the woman wouldn't ask her any questions about where things were located in the house. Though Lina had been just about everywhere, she still found Xellos's house to be a sort a maze. 

"Metallium-sama, has requested that you move into the ballroom," the woman said. 

Lina blinked. "'Metallium-sama?'" she repeated. "Who are you?" 

"I'm one of Metallium-sama's maid," the maid said. She bowed shortly. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Lina-san. Metallium-sama speaks a great deal about you." 

"Sou ka (I see)!" Lina said, laughing to hide her indignation. "_You're_ one of Xellos's maids!" _He's dead-meat,_ Lina thought. 

"Hai," the maid said. She gestured to the hall. "If you'll follow me, Lina-san." 

Lina followed the maid, barely containing her anger. "Ne, how long have you been working for Xellos?" she asked. 

"Oh, for about three years now," the maid said. "It's a lovely job, I must say." 

"I can imagine…" Lina muttered. _Especially since recently I been doing a lot of the jobs you maids were supposed to be doing!_ she thought. 

"And there's always something to do around the house," the maid went on. "We maids work hard to keep this place spotlessly clean around the clock." 

_Then why the hell is this the first time I've see one of you??_ Lina soundlessly shouted. She decided to not bite the woman's head off, unable to completely get angry at anyone besides Xellos himself. If what the woman said was true, then obviously they were always working in an area that Lina was not at the time. Lina supposed if Xellos was as meticulous as he seemed, he could order her do something on the third floor while his group of maids were cleaning things on the other two floors. It made a little sense, but didn't make Lina any less angry at Xellos for his claim that he didn't know how things were cleaned or cooked in his house. 

Lina put aside her anger temporarily after she went back to the ballroom she had taken the time to clean earlier that day. Now it was full of people and not to mention tables and chairs that hadn't been there before. Even more curious was a fountain that magically appeared in the middle of the room. Lina couldn't even begin to figure out how it got there nor how it somehow worked. Logically, the floor would have had to been dug up, so that water could travel up the fountain, but then Lina would have heard some kind of indication that someone constructed the fountain there earlier that day. The house had been silent the whole time Lina had been there. 

Lina place her hand on her head. "I'm going to lose my mind…" she muttered. 

"Hai (Here)," the maid said, handing her a tray. 

"What's this for?" Lina asked, taking the tray. 

The maid placed several glassed the were already filled on Lina's tray. "Metallium-sama wants you to pass out drinks and converse with the guests," she explained. "He added that he hopes that you'll be your most charming and polite self." 

Lina's protruding vein and twitching smile were unmistakable. "And what exactly will you be doing at this time?" she asked. She didn't have a problem balancing the drinks on the tray, but she did have a problem doing the work of a maid when she was face-to-face with one. 

"Oh, well…" The maid laughed as if she were embarrassed. 

"Yes?" 

"Himitsu desu (It's a secret)," the maid said. "We're not supposed to divulge specific information about what we do. Metallium-san calls us his 'silent workers,' you know." Lina was positive after the woman left to do whatever she was supposed to do that the ridiculously manner of Xellos's servants was not a coincidence; the man had to purposely seek people who were as frustrating as himself. 

It was hard for Lina to allow herself to brush off the woman's secretive manner, but she went ahead and did what she was required to do. At the beginning she felt as though her job wasn't equivalent to the information she would later receive, but she knew that if Xellos didn't confirm what she thought was true, she wouldn't be satisfied. No one among Xellos's guests seemed to be as shady as he or Rezo even, but Lina couldn't truly figure out why the people were gathered there. Xellos was no where to be found, and it seemed that no one really noticed that he wasn't there either. Lina supposed it could have been that the room was so large that Lina couldn't see Xellos, but she did have a sixth sense about him, and that sense told her that Xellos was definitely not in the room. 

_Where the hell is he?_ Lina thought, handing out the last couple of drinks to some guests. 

"Wait a moment," a woman said, just as Lina was about to put more drinks on her tray. "Aren't you the famous Lina Inverse?" 

Usually Lina would be flattered someone referred to her as "famous," but knowing that Xellos was probably behind that title, Lina didn't feel like it was going to be a compliment. "I guess you could say that…" she said. 

"Xellos isn't saying a word about how he managed to get you into his house like this," the man next to the woman said. "You must tell us how that devil accomplished something like that." 

_Devil…good choice of word…_ Lina thought. "Actually, I can't say myself," she said, trying not to hide her desire to be anywhere else right then. "It just all happened so quickly." 

"Xellos is as good as the rumors say," the woman commented. "I heard that he has one of those priceless statues from the far East in his collection now." 

"You don't say!" the man said. "How on earth did he get his hands on that?" 

Lina was a little scared by the woman's imitation of Xellos's secretive stance. "Sore wa himitsu desu," the woman said. She and the man laughed while Lina began to slowly back away. 

_These people are insane…_ Lina thought. She didn't hesitate to return to the table with empty glasses and bottles of wine. _Then again, this is Xellos's party, so I shouldn't be surprised…_

For a while, Lina continued to act as though she was being extremely cooperative and courteous to the guests in attempt to wait for Xellos to pop up. Lina had been serving drinks and enduring strange guests for a good hour without seeing Xellos before she was convinced that he wasn't in the room and wasn't going to ever show up. Lina wondered if Xellos also had guests in his collection room and that was where he was located. It was a good guess, considering that several of the guests had commented about being in the collection room or wanting to go see what was new in there. After Lina had finished her tenth round of serving drinks, she set her tray on the table and quietly walked out of the room. She was smiling about her easy escape until she nearly ran into the same maid that had led her into the room in the first place. 

"Ara (Oh), Lina-san?" the maid said. "Where exactly are you going?" 

"Uh…" Lina laughed nervously while she tried to think of a good excuse. "I… I need to use the bathroom. Yes, the bathroom." 

"Oh, is that all?" the maid said. She nodded and pointed in the direction Lina was going anyway. "Don't be too long, Lina-san. Metallium-sama would be very pleased if you were roaming the halls during his party." 

"Ri…Right…" Lina said. She hurried off in the hall, glad that she remembered the exact route to the room. However, on her way to the collection room, Lina passed a room with the door slightly ajar. That wasn't what made Lina stop after she had passed it; Lina clearly heard a voice that sounded like Xellos coming from within the room. She slowly retraced her steps and peered into the crack of the door. 

Lina could see Xellos standing in the room, looking very nervous as he spoke. She was a little surprised that for once he actually did look nervous, instead of his usual fake nervousness that he gave Lina all the time. Xellos's smile wasn't gone, but it seemed to be in place to cover up his anxiety. 

"…Iie…I completely understand, ojousama (*what Xellos calls his superior*)," Xellos said. "I don't think I'll have to be doing anymore of that." 

Lina stood just left of the door, just in case Xellos happened to look over in the direction of where the door was open. She wasn't sure whom Xellos was talking to, nor could she hear the person speak when she obviously started talking to Xellos again. Lina found that curious, as much as Xellos's genuine discomfort and the smell of smoke flowing out of the room. 

"Hai, hai, I haven't forgotten," Xellos said. Lina could picture him tugging at his collar, though she would be surprised to see him display such agitated gestures. "I'll make sure that in a month, tops, everything will be ready." 

Lina felt herself becoming nervous at her lack of hearing what the woman (Lina guessed from how Xellos had addressed her) was saying to him. It was obvious that this woman was someone that Xellos took orders from, considering he didn't appear to be humoring this person's requests. The requests the woman was making also were a topic Lina wondered about, especially since she had a feeling it was nothing good. 

"Ara? Changed my mind?" Lina heard Xellos say after a while. "It's true that I do enjoy the fact that Lina-san is in my company at the present, but that hasn't changed my plans for her…" 

Lina felt like someone had stabbed her. _What the hell did he say??_ she thought. It was then that Lina recalled after Xellos had catch up with her the first time at the beauty contest that he had mentioned he had some kind of plans for her. At the time she didn't really consider what those were, more concerned about getting away from him, but now it seemed that Lina ought to be weary of what Xellos was planning for her after all. 

"Well, I know I _could_ change my mind if I wanted to," Xellos said, "demo I think that might cause more problems for me, deshou (don't you think)?" Lina assumed that the woman had agreed with him since Xellos laughed in a more comfortable manner. "You know that in the end I'll always come through, no matter what I decide to do." 

Lina frowned and wished that Xellos would be forced to talk about the details of the plan, so that Lina could get a better idea of what was in store for her. She had the notion to simply fling open the door and tell Xellos and his superior that the jig was up, but she couldn't help but feel that that would make her situation worse. After all, Xellos's superior certainly had to be someone to be reckoned with; Lina couldn't even imagine someone telling Xellos what to do and he would do it without question or double-crossing them, but such a person existed. Lina began to feel a little frightened at the idea and wondered if she should just get back to doing what Xellos asked. She did have the knowledge that Xellos was planning something for her; with that knowledge, she could very well be careful enough to prevent herself from getting into whatever Xellos wanted her to do. 

"Ee? Oh, I'm terribly sorry, ojousama--I'll get some more for you right away." 

Lina began to hear Xellos's footsteps toward the door and did her best to get out the hall without too much noise and before Xellos could see her. She was successful in making it back to the ballroom, though she was breathing as though she had just finished a marathon. This was due largely in part that she was afraid that Xellos might have caught her eavesdropping, if he hadn't already. 

"Ah, Lina-san, you're back," the maid said, appearing out of no where. She blinked when Lina jumped. "Are you all right?" 

"Um, yes…I just didn't expect you to be there like that…" Lina said, holding her hand over her heart. 

"Well, it's all right for you to get back to your job," the maid said. She was prepared with another tray for Lina. "Hai (Here)." 

"Arigatou," Lina said, fighting not to scowl at her. Lina took the tray and went back to handing them out as she did before, yet with much less thought about what she was doing. She couldn't help imagine what Xellos was planning and how her servitude fit into it. She was able to figure out that the whole tricking her into servitude was the first part of it, but she couldn't connect it with something else. Lina was, of course, free to go in a year, so what would happen to her before that year was over? Xellos was talking about being ready in a month for whatever he was preparing, so Lina obviously didn't have much time. Several the guests tried to engage in conversation with her, but Lina couldn't even pretend like she had heard them. She simply passed the people by after they had gotten their drinks as if they hadn't said a word. 

Eventually, Lina did stop obsessing about what Xellos was going to do to her, but only because she wondered how long she was going to have to continue to put up with his party. There were people talking, eating, and dancing everywhere, but Lina didn't see that the party seemed to be dying out. It was well past midnight by that time and none of the guests looked like they had the slightest inclination to leave. Lina took a moment to observe the musicians playing in the far right corner of the room, and she began to imagine what she could do to end the whole festivity. Perhaps if she sabotaged their instruments, then all the guests would think of leaving, and Lina could finally stop prancing around in her silly outfit and working her nerves dealing with Xellos's odd guests. 

Lina grinned to herself as she saw an opportunity to cause some havoc. There were a group of tall plants standing beside the players that could easily be tipped over in a domino effect to cause the players trouble. All Lina needed to do was pretend to knock over the end one by accident, and she might be through with the whole night. She started to move toward the plants, but she was stopped about halfway there. 

"Iya, Lina-san, I really did pick out the perfect dress for you." 

Lina could help but react to Xellos's appearance as if he were a ghost that popped up in the room. "Xe…Xellos?" she said. It had been a while since she had been listening in on his conversation, but that by no means meant that he wasn't aware that she had been there. 

"Is there something wrong, Lina-san?" Xellos said. The grin on his face didn't suggest anything besides pleasure in what he observed. "Ah, the front of the dress is even better." 

"Ee?" Lina glanced down at herself as if forgetting what the front of the dress looked like, then blushed and covered up her chest with the empty tray. "Now, listen here--" 

"It would be such a shame for you to look so lovely and not dance tonight," Xellos said. "How about dancing with me, Lina-san?" 

Lina gripped the tray tighter, tempted to whack Xellos over the head with it. "Joudan ja na (Don't joke)--" 

"I'm sure you won't refuse me, Lina-san, because you're quite determined to learn how I acquired the Houshu treasure, sou desu ne (is that right)?" 

Lina sweat-dropped. _Damnit,_ she thought. _It was bad enough dancing with him in just a play, but now…_

"What do you say, Lina-san?" 

"Fine…" Lina said. However, she made no movements as if she truly intended to go through with what she had agreed. 

Xellos laughed as if she were being silly. "Lina-san, you can't dance with that tray in front of you like that," he said. He took hold of the tray. "Here, let me get rid of that for you." 

"Ch-Ch-Chotto (Wa-Wa-Wait)!" Lina said, though the tray were easily taken out of her hands. She turned a deeper red and folded her arms over her chest and silently cursed Xellos. 

"That's better," Xellos said, setting the tray on a table. "Lina-san, I really can't get over how beautiful you look tonight." 

"Shut up and let's get this over with," Lina snapped. 

"Hai, let's move over here," Xellos said, taking her hand. He didn't seem to mind her protests and moved them to a less crowded area in the room. "Ah, this is better, don't you think, Lina-san?" 

_It'd be better if I didn't have to dance with you…_ Lina thought. She began to tense when Xellos drew near her and then rested his hands on her waist. She would have really preferred it had been the other way around like it had been when they were in the play; with Lina's dress the way it was, Xellos's hands were too close to her bare skin. Lina could easily imagine Xellos's hands traveling back further than they needed to be, and of course, such thoughts only made Lina more less comfortable than she had initially been. By the time she had forced herself to lay her hands on Xellos's shoulders, she was shaking enough that she had to actually clutch onto Xellos so that it wouldn't show as much. Xellos must have chosen not to notice and began to dance with her as if nothing was out of the ordinary. Lina kept her eyes to the floor, not wanting to see how pleased Xellos seemed to be. 

"This party has turned out to be so much better than I expected," Xellos said. "I was a little worried you might try to do something to ruin it, but nothing has gone out of the ordinary." 

"Yeah…" Lina muttered, thinking about her idea to wreck the musicians. Now she wished she had so that dancing with Xellos wouldn't have been a possibility. 

"You know, Lina-san, I think wearing dresses really suits you," Xellos said. Lina felt herself becoming less and less able to dance with him, especially when he began to talk about her appearance again. "I was thinking that when you wore that wonderful gown at the contest, but I think today you look even better. You really should reveal more of your beauty body." 

"Xellos!" Lina was nearly crushing his shoulders in her grip, but he didn't give a sign that he noticed. "I don't want to hear comments like that from you!" 

"Why not?" Xellos said. He laughed as if suddenly noticing something. "Lina-san, masaka (it can't be)--you're embarrassed?" 

"No!" Lina said, forgetting that she didn't want to look him in the eyes and found that they weren't closed as usual. That quickly made Lina drop her eyes back down and be silent, though she had intended to add an explanation of what she meant. 

"I think you must be," Xellos continued. "After all, you can't look me in the eyes, and I don't think I've seen your face quite so red." 

"I'm angry…that's all," Lina growled. 

"Maa (Well), if that's true, then even when you're angry, you're incredibly cute," Xellos said. 

"Why are you saying stupid things like that?" Lina said, letting out a breath. "If you're just trying to tease me, then you might as well cut it out." 

"Why would I tease you about a thing like that?" Xellos asked. "I've always thought that you were an attractive woman, but I suppose it's times like these that I'm really aware of that." 

Lina continued to glare at the floor, unconvinced that Xellos was telling her the truth. He was the master of lying and fabrication, and for all Lina could know he could be saying such things just to make her trusting enough of him so that he could use her in his plan. She hoped that if she kept quiet for the remainder of the dance, he'd take a hint and give up on trying to flatter her. 

"Ah, so you still don't believe me?" Xellos said, getting no response from his dance partner. "What would I have to do to convince you I'm telling the truth?" 

"You can't," Lina said, annoyed that he was still on the topic. "Every time I look at you, I see 'liar' written all over your face." 

"Sou desu ka (Is that right)?" Xellos said. "Jaa (Well then), why don't you try looking at my face now and seeing if I'm lying." 

_What the hell is he up to??_ Lina wondered, ignoring his offer. _If he thinks he can fool Lina Inverse with empty compliments, then he has another thing coming!_

Xellos chuckled. "Maa, I guess Lina Inverse doesn't like to be wrong, so you won't look me in the face and determine whether I'm lying or not," he said. 

_Why that little…!_ Lina thought. _Okay, I'll just look him quickly in his lying face and then tell him he's a damn liar! Maybe then he'll finally shut his mouth…_

Lina drew in a breath and then slowly released it before she lifted up her gaze to meet Xellos. She had a scowl firmly set in her face before she even looked at him, but found that scowl hard to keep when she actually took the time to examine Xellos's expression. If merely dancing with Xellos had been uncomfortable, then meeting eyes with him was like meeting eyes with a wild animal you were unsure at which moment it would attack. As Lina had claimed, she could always tell by Xellos's deceptive grin that he wasn't telling the truth, but his grin this time didn't give off the same feeling it had in the past. Lina sensed that he was simply grinning because he liked saw and that his violet eyes had a sincere look to that Lina couldn't recall ever seeing before. It creeped her out because it was very "un-Xellos" like, and thus something she wasn't prepared to deal with. If Xellos was actually telling the truth, then why did he just choose this moment to start doing so? 

Lina finally looked back down again, trying to build up the scowl she had lost when she had examined Xellos's face. "Well, Lina-san?" Xellos asked, figuring she had taken a good enough look. "What's your conclusion?" 

"You _look_ like you're telling the truth, but that doesn't mean you are," Lina said. She was relieved that the song ended and she was free to back away from Xellos and pull his hands away from her waist. She turned her back to him, thinking it was better for him to be looking at that than her chest. 

"You give me more credit than I am due, Lina-san," Xellos said. "Well, I do thank you for the dance. It was very enjoyable." 

"Can we finish this deal already??" Lina asked. 

"I suppose you've been more than cooperative," Xellos said. He grinned when Lina jumped as he put a hand on her shoulder. "Let's go somewhere private to discuss what you want me to tell you." 

Lina nodded and sort of turned in preparation to follow him and at the same time get rid of Xellos's hand on her shoulder. Obviously Xellos's guests couldn't tell that he was trying to leave the room because practically every step he took was impeded by a guest trying to engage in a conversation with him. Xellos didn't seem to mind, but after glancing at Lina's impatient glare, he cut the conversation short and continued to walk out of the room. If that hadn't been bad enough, Lina had to hear several comments of how lovely the two of them looked dancing. Xellos, of course, agreed, while Lina did her best to not snap about the impossibility of the two of them looking "lovely" together. 

"In here, Lina-san," Xellos said, opening a door for her in the hall. 

Lina didn't mind entering first, especially since she was merely glad to get out of public view with her terrible dress on, but the table in the middle of the room made her raise a brow. "What's with this?" she asked, turning back to Xellos and directing his attention to the bottle of wine and two glasses on the table. Her brows dropped back down. "You don't have something else on your mind, do you?" 

"Iie, not at all," Xellos said. He walked past her and pulled out a chair for her. "I just figured that since I'm going to tell you something that will make you angry, a little drink might let you take it a little easier." 

"You're probably right…" Lina said, taking the chair. _God knows I could use a drink right about now…_

Xellos took the seat across from her and then poured Lina and himself a glass of the wine. He grinned, though Lina didn't truly notice, as Lina immediately drank half of her glass. Xellos left his own glass alone at the moment and then folded his hands on the table. 

"Well, Lina-san, where would you like me to begin?" Xellos asked. 

Lina went ahead and finished off her first glass, anticipating an aggravating story. "Start from the beginning before you even found us," she said. She held up her glass to indicate she wanted a refill. "You mentioned at that time you had gotten some information on the Houshu before you went after us, so you must have found information about the treasure that you 'conveniently' left out when you were telling me the 'truth' the first time." 

Xellos laughed as he poured Lina another glass. "Did I?" he asked. "It must have slipped my mind." 

Lina gave him a half-lidded look and took a large drink from her glass. Xellos took that moment to take his first sip as well and cleared his throat so that he could begin to explain himself. 

"As you said, I definitely did some research beforehand and learned about the existence of the treasure in the forest," Xellos said. "Supposedly no one has ever gotten their hands on it before, but I learned from my sources that there was one person who managed to steal the jewel from the Houshu before." 

"Nani?" Lina couldn't help but wonder who Xellos's sources were. 

"It turns out there was once an explorer who found the jewel and actually made it back to the camp he had set up in the Houshu Forest. With him he had brought a young assistant who was in charge of recording what the explorer found, what the jewel looked like, and how the explorer described obtaining it. However, the same night that this explorer had managed to steal the jewel, the Houshu found him at his camp and attacked them. The explorer decided to take the jewel and run off by himself, so that his assistant could have the opportunity to run off while the Houshu chased the explorer." 

"And? Was the explorer killed?" 

Xellos smiled inappropriately. "Mochiron (Of course)," he said. He took another brief sip from his glass. "Demo the boy, who is now in his thirties, lived and took the journal of the explorer's tale. He lives in the off-skirts of Trinket since none of the townspeople wanted him in Trinket in fear of a Houshu attack. He's been trying to tell his story for years, actually, but few believe what he says. After all, the rumors claim that if you meet a Houshu, you're guaranteed death." 

Lina frowned. "I can't believe your information is that detailed," she said. 

"Well, Lina-san," Xellos said, running a finger along the rim of his glass, "it's amazing what you can find out if you take the time to search and have the right sources." 

Lina glared at him, grabbed the bottle of wine herself this time, and poured herself another glass of wine. "Just go on," she said. 

"Hai," Xellos complied. "Well, I talked to this man and from him I learned not only what the jewel looked like but also its location. He's now makes a living as a craftsman and his specialty is models of the Houshu treasure he constructs from red glass. They were quite good, so I purchased one of the replicas from him." 

Lina just brought down her glass from her mouth again. "Are you trying to tell me that jewel in your collection is a fake??" she said. "I can tell a real jewel from a replica." 

"I'll explain that later," Xellos said. "After I had left his home, I had information about the treasure, as well as information on the Houshu culture itself." 

"That included the Houshu language?" 

"Bingo!" 

"How could you learn that if no one has seen the Houshu and lived to tell about it??" 

"It is just a rumor, after all, Lina-san. There have been people who have observed the Houshu without being seen. These people have discovered the Houshu language and their customs, such as burning all intruders to their village." 

"Knowing that might have been helpful…" Lina muttered. She drank a little more of her nearly empty glass and then held her head. 

Xellos's sly expression was missed by Lina since she was preoccupied at the moment. "Daijoubu desu ka (Are you all right), Lina-san?" 

"Uhn (Yeah)," Lina said, but not removing her hand. "Go on already." 

Xellos laughed under his breath before agreeing to go on. "When I found you in the pit, my initial plan was to leave you in the care of a doctor so that you could get your leg treated," he said. "That way, I would have the time to go back to the forest and find the jewel and you would have been none the wiser." Xellos's grin widened as she finished off her third glass and reached for the bottle again. He himself had just taken the time to finish his first glass before continuing. 

"But, well, you were determined to save Zelgadis-san, so I decided to do what you wanted to do." 

Lina was already drinking from her fourth glass before she practically slammed it back down on the table. "Yeah, but not without a price!" she said. 

Xellos put a finger to his chin. "If I had know you were so serious about saving him, then I really would have taken the opportunity to kiss you for real." 

Lina had thought she wouldn't have to blush again that night. "Na (Wha)…" Seeing Xellos grinning at her caused her to bang her fist on the table. "Skip to the part when we arrived at the village!" 

"Hai, hai," Xellos said. "While we were going there, I was trying to figure out a way to get the jewel, but not let you know about it. When I saw the Houshu gathered around to kill Zelgadis, I thought if I could leave you in the care of the Houshu and be assured that they wouldn't kill you immediately but at the same time distract the whole village, then I could achieve my goal. That instantly reminded me of one of the Houshu's traditions of, which I'm sure you've already guessed, Lina-san, sacrificing a female virgin to their fire god. All I had to do was tell them in their language that in exchange for one of the sacrifices they so desperately needed, I would only request that Zelgadis-san be handed over to me." 

"What the hell were you thinking??" Lina demanded. 

"Maa…I just told you what I was thinking…" Xellos said. He disregarded her glare and continued with the story. "After you were taken away, I took Zelgadis-san with me." 

"Why did you do that?" 

"If you'd let me get to that instead of interrupting, then you'd know, Lina-san." 

Lina held her head again. "Why the hell are you taking so long??" she asked. She yawned and sensed her eyelids becoming heavy. 

Xellos's "sinister" grin appeared. "I'm trying to tell the story as quickly as possible," he said. "I don't want to leave out a detail that you'll scold me for later…" 

Lina couldn't even keep her head up very well, despite her hand supporting it. "You'll always…leave out…something…important…" Three seconds later, her head dropped down on the table. 

Xellos placed the cork back into the bottle of wine. "That's certainly true," he said, his grin still with him. "I always leave out something, don't I?" 

Xellos got up from the table and carefully removed Lina from her seat. He was sure that she wasn't going to wake up anytime soon, but nonetheless, he carried her in his arms as gently he could up to the third floor. From there he entered his room and then Lina's room and laid her on her bed, pulling the covers up to her neck. 

He smiled down at her, noticing how peacefully she looked in contrast to how agitated she was practically the whole day. "Well, I knew you'd be drinking a lot of that wine without taking heed of what you were actually drinking," he said quietly. He wagged a finger at her before leaning his mouth next to her ear. "Next time, Lina-san, you should really try to stay awake for the whole story." 

Xellos laughed after he stepped back from Lina, knowing that she would figure out later that he had purposely made sure he didn't finish the story, and then he took a moment to smile at the sight of Lina sleeping again. Eventually his smile turned into a expression of discontent and he shook his head. 

"Lina-san will probably rip up that dress after tonight…" Xellos mumbled to himself. "She truly did look lovely in it too… Zan'nen desu ne (it's such a shame)." 

Xellos returned his smile and he bent down to kiss Lina on the forehead. "Oyasumi nasai (Good night), Lina-san," he said. He took extra precautions when he left the room after that, fearing if Lina did happen to wake up, it would truly be the worst moment for her to do so. Finally, he took his own key and locked Lina into her room, just for another precaution. 

Now that Xellos had taken care of Lina for the night, he traveled back downstairs to the first floor and entered another of his many rooms. "Sorry to keep you waiting," he said as he closed the door behind him. 

"Iie, it's quite all right." Xellos's guest smiled at him as Xellos took a seat across from him. "What can I do for you this time, Xellos-san?" 

"Ee (Yes)," Xellos said. His face suggested that it was going to be something underhanded. "I've finally managed to get Lina-san back into my house, and I intend to keep it that way. However, there's a certain person that can get in the way of that, no matter how careful I may be." 

"Zelgadis, you mean." 

"Sou desu ne. I'd like to prevent his interference again, if possible. I'll, of course, pay the usual sum for your assistance in this matter. I'd like to make sure that he's taken care of permanently." 

The man snorted. "I'll do whatever I can to make sure that happens." 

Xellos grinned like the devil he was, his eyes opening a crack. "Jaa (Well then), I'll leave the matter in your hands…Rezo-san."   


To be continued...   
  


Next Chapter: Lina and Xellos travel to some of his various businesses and the two of them get a chance to get closer... maybe ^_^ Zelgadis encounters trouble with his Uncle who has been hired to get rid of him... How will Rezo-ojisan (uncle Rezo) do it? Dunno... But expect this chapter in about three months, at the earliest... Yeah, not having a computer sucks...gomen nasai! 


	9. Business and Pleasure, Part One

*Author's Notes: Hello! Wow, it's been ages! I think I might have said that I would update in May. Well, some unfortunate things happened to prevent that, as well as my laziness. Anyway, very sorry. Also I'm sorry I'm not updating this whole chapter. I'm still writing it and it looks like this chapter will be over forty pages (on the word processor), so since I've been slack with updating, I decided to at least put up the first half. I usually don't do this because I like to separate the halves so that they're nearly even. Oh well. This little card game thingy took up more room than I expected. I haven't even gotten to the real point of the chapter. The next part for sure. This chapter is revolving around the business meeting in the next part. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this part. What I've written of the second part is more fun, but this part isn't anything to sneeze at either. I like the Zelgadis scene. I wish I could fit in more scenes like that. All right, enough of my babbling--read and enjoy! ^_^   
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Chapter Eight: Business and Pleasure, Part One   


Xellos rolled up the letter and placed back on the table. He released a breath and leaned back in his chair. After staring up at the ceiling for a minute or two he put a hand to his chin and gradually frowned. It wasn't like him to be caught off guard by things, especially since he had to be cautious about every little thing with Lina not giving him a moment's peace after that half-explanation he had given her. Xellos swore up and down that he had explained everything, but Lina, of course, didn't believe a word he said. There was little that he hadn't told her and it was amusing to watch her try to get it out of him, so Xellos decided not to give her any more information about that night. At any rate, her fixation with that information distracted her from worrying about Zelgadis. Xellos hadn't seen him in a couple weeks, but he wasn't sure if that was because Zelgadis had no idea how to get into his house, or because Rezo had done what he had requested. Either way, Xellos wasn't looking forward to seeing Zelgadis any time soon, nor looking forward to what business he would have to take care of immediately. Unfortunately, he didn't see much of a way to get around it. 

Xellos faced forward again and replaced his frown with a smile. "Well, Lina-san, how long do you intend to spy on me?" he said. 

Lina's first instinct was to jump back from the door as if she hadn't been peeking in at all. Then she sighed and entered the room, Xellos's back still to her. Even though there were a few times when Lina was positive that she had spied on Xellos without his knowledge, most of the time Xellos made it seem like detecting her presence was second nature. It wasn't as creepy as it had been at the beginning, but it never ceased to annoy Lina. It was happening more often, but Xellos's super intuition may have been because Lina was sneaking around almost nonstop. 

"I said it before, didn't I, Xellos?" Lina said. "I'm not going to give you a second of peace as long as I have to be here." 

Lina didn't hear Xellos laugh, but his shoulders moved as if he were chuckling to himself. "If you think this is some kind of inconvenience for me, then you're very mistaken. I happen to love all this time I get to spend with you, Lina-san." 

"If you think saying something like that is going to distract me, then _you're_ very mistaken. Frankly, I'm getting tired of you pretending to only want my company. I know that you have a secret motive for my being here." 

"Oh?" Xellos rose from his chair and then leaned against the back of it. "What might that be?" 

"If I knew that I wouldn't be wasting my time spying on you, now would I?" Lina wondered if she were going to end up attacking Xellos again as she had started doing at the beginning of the week. She had to restrain herself previously, but lately she had been trying to break his arms and legs and bash his head in, among other things. Whereas she mostly thought of what she wanted to do to Xellos, she was actually doing them now. The day before she had actually broken a bottle against Xellos's head. Unfortunately for Lina, the bottle merely shattered and had little affect on Xellos. He had complained about the pain (even though he wasn't even bleeding), but Lina doubted that he meant that sincerely. 

"That's certainly true," Xellos said. He reached behind him and rolled up the letter before storing it under his shirt. "So what has this little spying trip taught you?" 

Lina folded her arms over her chest. "Nothing much," she said. She was aware that Xellos was merely patronizing her, but Lina found that if she went along with his little games sometimes, she could beat him at them. "I know that the contents of that letter are pretty important since no ordinary person came to deliver it. Besides that, you didn't risk reading it immediately after you received it; you went into one of your studies and closed the door behind you." 

"Hmm," Xellos said, placing a hand to his chin, "all of that seems to be true…" 

"What do you mean, 'seems to be true?'" Lina said. "Stop talking as if we're not referring to yourself!" 

"Demo, Lina-san," Xellos said, "if I truly wanted some privacy, then why didn't I lock the door? I mean, you obviously opened the door a crack and were looking in." 

"Why the hell are you asking me?? You explain it!" 

Xellos laughed, thus indicating the game was over. Lina was indeed frustrated that Xellos had "won" that little game, but she wasn't about to explode and let him enjoy his victory even more. It did seem as though Xellos were waiting for her to react negatively in some way, at least. Lina regarded him with little evidence that she was one laugh away from striking him. 

"If you're not going to explain anything to me, then I'll just leave," Lina said. "Unlike you, I don't enjoy your company." 

"Really?" Xellos approached her and seemed to be trying to undermine her opinion. "They often say those who are so determined to deny something must be denying the truth." 

_How many games does he plan to play with me??_ Lina thought, pointing her finger at Xellos so that it were a mere inch from his nose. "Do you want to know what the truth is?" she asked. "In about five seconds I'm going to grab that fire poker over there." 

Lina motioned to the object resting by the fireplace and Xellos turned to look as if he had no idea to what she was referring. "Oh, I see," he said, smiling as if he wanted her to use it. "_That._" 

"Do I need to explain what I'll do with it?" 

Xellos shook his head. "That won't be necessary." He started out of the room and motioned for Lina to follow him. "Actually, this letter I received is as important as you have guessed it to be." 

"And so?" Lina made a mental sigh. Xellos was finally being serious. "What's the letter about?" 

"Basically, it's about this very important, yet undesirable, business gathering I'll have to attend." He sighed and seemed to forget that Lina was behind him. "That's not like me to forget things like this. I must be concentrating on Lina-san too much… If I lose my head like this, I'll get into trouble with-" 

"Uh, Xellos?" 

Xellos stopped and gazed back at Lina whom had stopped in the hall a while ago. "Ara (Oh)? It seems I've been saying unusual things." 

"Yeah…" Lina continued to give him a strange look, especially when he started chuckling and rubbing the back of his head. Unlike other times when she had seen Xellos doing this, she was certain that he was actually embarrassed and had for a moment let down his guard. However, Lina wasn't sure what was going on since Xellos hadn't explained much of anything. 

Xellos started walking again and Lina caught up before he was too far away to be heard. "Well, the point is, Lina-san," he said, sounding more like himself, "I have to leave town immediately to take care of this matter." 

Lina clasped her hands together. "Really??" she said. "You're leaving?? Hate to see you go, but if you have no other choice…" 

"Don't sound too happy about it," Xellos said, through her cheerful laughter. "What I really meant to say is that _we_ are leaving town immediately." He snickered at how quickly the glee from her face disappeared. "I can't leave you here in this big house all by yourself, now can I?" 

"Sure you can," Lina said. She balled up a fist. "If you want to _live_, that is." 

"Now, now, Lina-san," Xellos said, starting up the flight of stairs. "I'm sure that there is some way for the both of us to enjoy this little trip." 

"How?" Lina asked, wishing the stairs were a bit wider. If they were, she would be able to trip him and avoid having him fall back upon her. "The only way I'd enjoy a trip with you, is if it were a one-way trip for one of us." 

"Let's at least try to get along for the sake of this trip," Xellos said, ascending the last step. He pointed in the direction of his room. "We need to get our things and be on our way." 

Lina stood at the top of the stairs, reluctant to move. _Traveling with him back from Bravo was bad enough, but…_ she thought. _Lately, I've been really pissed off with Xellos. I don't think he's going to make it back alive…_

"Please hurry, Lina-san," Xellos said. He kept motioning for her to come on, despite her glaring in refusal to move. "If you would rather have no clothes for the next couple of days, I don't mind, but-" 

"Xellos!!" Lina stormed past him. "If you really want to go to this meeting, then you'll shut up!" 

"Hai," Xellos said, although Lina couldn't hear him. He smiled to himself. "Well, maybe this trip won't be so bad after all."   
  
*******   
  


A tiny smile came to Zelgadis's face when he noticed that the grandfather clock he and Lina had broken a long time ago was finally repaired. The last time he had been there, the clock was still unable to work. Even to that day, Zelgadis wasn't sure why the repair had taken so long. If he had felt guilty about breaking it, he might have even fixed himself. Zelgadis shrugged and continued on his way, turning at a corner. Other things had changed like the wallpaper and some of the paintings in the hall, but it was hard for Zelgadis to not remember the whole place clearly. Although it were not his favorite place to be, especially at the time, he was unable to forget all the time he had spent there. For whatever reason he was there on that day, Zelgadis was sure that he would remember it for a long time despite his wishes not to. 

Zelgadis sighed and pulled open a door. He closed the door behind him and stepped about halfway in the room. For a moment he was distracted by a few differences in the room, but gradually his eyes returned to the desk ahead of him. 

"Well, what the hell do you want? You've been pestering me for two weeks with those messages." 

"Hmph, it's been about three years since I've last seen you and this is how you greet me, Zelgadis?" 

Zelgadis rested his hand on his hip. "Cut the useless chit-chat," he said. "I'm busy at the moment, so get to your point, Rezo." 

Rezo smiled and rested his hands on his desk. "Trying to find a way to get into Xellos-san's house, you mean?" he said. 

"If you know then don't ask," Zelgadis said, narrowing his eyes. "I'll ask one more time before I'll just leave: what the hell do you want?" 

"I know that we've never been very close, nephew," Rezo said, "but regardless of that we are still part of the same family. I've always tried to stay uninvolved in your life, so I'd appreciate it if you'd grant me a favor for the carefree life I'm allowed you to live." 

"Carefree?? Uninvolved??" Zelgadis's mind flooded with reasons his statement was a bunch of nonsense. However, he was able to quell the indignant sputtering that would have usually followed after hearing such rubbish. Before he had even decided to leave Hadin and visit his uncle, he had made sure he was mentally prepared for conversations he would endure with Rezo. Zelgadis simply kept quiet and waited for himself to collect on a single point which to argue with. 

"Listen, Rezo," Zelgadis said, his clenched fists the only sign left that he was seriously annoyed, "I'll admit during the younger years of my life you were 'kind' enough to take me into your home and 'raise' me, but I hardly feel that I owe you a damn thing. I stopped taking things from you when I was twelve years old and have paid you in several ways to compensate for those years I had depended on you. The fact that you simply let me go off and do as I pleased had nothing to do with your will. I would have eventually broken away from you no matter what you had tried." 

"Hmm, such a long way to refuse a favor," Rezo said. "A simple 'no' would have been enough." 

Zelgadis finally broke into a glare. Rezo was smiling at him, which only meant that things were progressing as his uncle had intended. "I'm just letting you know that no matter what you say, I would never do a favor for you," he said. "At any rate, whenever I do something for or against you, I end up getting into a heap of trouble. I've learned that lesson countless times throughout my life." 

"Trouble?" Rezo repeated. His laughter, though short, was not appreciated by his nephew. "You can't possibly be blaming me for all the trouble in your life." 

"Why not?" Zelgadis asked. "How many times has my life been in turmoil or in danger of ending because of you? You've given me nothing but trouble since the day I entered your house." 

"Oh?" Rezo rested his head on his hand. "What about Lina Inverse? It seems to me that she's done equally the same. Are you going to tell me that Lina-san hasn't given you any trouble?" 

A small sweat-drop appeared on Zelgadis's forehead. "No, I won't…" he muttered. 

"Even though Lina-san puts you in dangerous situations where you could lose your life or end up in jail, you still spend so much time helping her out," Rezo said. He smirked, noticing that Zelgadis's gaze had dropped to the floor and the assurance on his face had almost disappeared. "Is she really worth it, Zelgadis? You continuously tell me that you won't be my heir so that you can marry this troublesome woman. Because of that you have to live your life like a vagabond, constantly searching for ways to get money. Wouldn't you agree this lifestyle is the reason you've had such rough times? If you'd only stop wasting your life with this woman, you could have a very easy life, nephew." 

_He raises a good point…_ Zelgadis thought. Certainly his life would have been much less hectic if he had only stayed away from Lina. And the benefits of helping her were few, if any. Most of the time his connection with her had been more harmful than helpful, despite her claim that it would turn out to be to his advantage. 

"If you continue this way it will only be a matter of time before you die," Rezo said. He snorted. "Anyway, just because you accept my inheritance doesn't mean you have to live your life like I have." 

Zelgadis eyes quickly rose to Rezo's level. "I refuse to take anything from you!" he said. "The last thing I want is to owe you anything, even if you're dead." 

"If that's true then you shouldn't mind if I owe you something," Rezo offered. "Do me this favor and, of course, I'll return the favor someday." 

"Oh, really?" Zelgadis said. "Return it how? By double-crossing me later on?" 

Rezo sighed, but hadn't stopped smiling. "You should realize I wouldn't be asking you if I wasn't desperate." 

"How can someone like you ever be desperate?" The clock the behind Rezo chimed, drawing Zelgadis's attention to it. "It's getting late, Rezo." 

"If you simply agree to grant me this favor, then you can be on your way," Rezo said. 

_We're just going to keep going around in circles for hours…_ Zelgadis thought. "What's the favor?" he asked. "I'm not saying I'm going to do it, but I'll at least hear you out before I decline." He immediately regretted giving Rezo even that much after seeing Rezo's devious grin. 

"I've heard that you have connections in Sharmin," Rezo said. He leaned back in his chair and laid his hands in his lap. "Unfortunately that's one city that I have little power in. So I'd appreciate it if you'd pull some strings and purchase me a couple of their famous rugs. I shouldn't have to tell you that the family that makes those rugs are particular about their customers." 

"Hmph, they certainly wouldn't sell any to _you_," Zelgadis agreed. "I can't really think of any way that traveling to Sharmin and buying some rugs would put me in any danger, but I'm sure if it's you, you can figure out a way." 

"I assure you, all I'm interested in are those rugs," Rezo said with a tone that betrayed his words. "You know I'm a collector of sorts and I haven't been successful in obtaining these items myself." 

"You'll probably keep hassling me if I don't do this, right?" Zelgadis guessed, rubbing his temples. 

"Of course not." 

"Right…" Zelgadis sighed and closed his eyes. "Well, whatever you're up to by asking me to do this, it won't work. However, I'm tired of your people tailing me, so keep them off my back until I finish up my current business and when I'm through with it, I'll head over to Sharmin and get those damned rugs you want." 

"Iie." Rezo tried to conceal his amusement when Zelgadis opened his eyes and regarded him with confusion. "I need you do take care of this right away." 

"Nani?" Zelgadis said. He raised a brow. "Why the hell are you in such a rush?" 

Rezo snorted. "You've always told me you don't want to know about any of my hidden motives," he said. "Just know that I need them and right away." 

"Hmph, then I'm afraid that's too bad," Zelgadis said. He turned to leave. "Unfortunately I have something I need to take care of that can't wait. Well, if you'll excuse me." 

"This task will take you no more than a week, if even that," Rezo said, although Zelgadis had already started out the room. "I predict that even if you spend that time in Hadin, you won't find any way into Xellos-san's house." 

Zelgadis stopped at the door, but didn't turn back. "So what?" he said. "I owe it to Lina to at least try. I shouldn't have even wasted the time to come here." 

"Just let your little friend be. Xellos-san is taking good care of her." 

"Good care??" Zelgadis whirled around to face him. "I wouldn't be surprised if he ends up killing her somehow with one of his schemes!" 

"And if you don't stop interfering with Xellos-san, I'm sure that you'll end up dead before she does," Rezo returned. "If you value your own life, you'll just stay out of it." 

"Why are you so determined to keep me away from Lina?" Zelgadis asked, studying his uncle's face. A slight change in his expression indicated that Zelgadis was right to guess that was what Rezo was after. "Why should it be your concern right now?" 

"It's just some advice for your own good," Rezo said. "I'm simply asking you to take a short break to do a favor for me. It doesn't matter to me what you do afterwards." 

"Like hell," Zelgadis said. "There has to be a reason you benefit from getting me away from Lina, but I can't really…think…" He stopped as it dawned upon him and his eyes widened. "Masaka (No way)… Xellos is paying you to keep me away from Lina!" 

"Hmph, I thought you'd be a bit quicker to figure it out," Rezo said, rising from his chair. He stood at the window behind his desk. "For a moment I almost thought I could convince you to stay out of Hadin without any trouble." 

"You…!!" Zelgadis took a step forward, debating whether he would attack his uncle or not. "And you wonder why I would rather die than be your heir! You'd cast me aside for money in a heartbeat!" 

"I'm merely asking you to go to Sharmin, that's all," Rezo said. "It's not as if I'm trying to harm you or anything like that." 

"Go to hell, Rezo," Zelgadis said. "I'm heading back for Hadin immediately!" 

"Perhaps before you return there you should pay another visit to Amelia-san." 

Zelgadis froze in the doorway. He slowly turned back, beads of sweat already on his forehead. "What do you mean by that?" he asked. 

"That poor girl, coming down with that illness," Rezo said, handling the burgundy curtains as if he were more interested in them. "I wonder how long she'd be able to endure her ailment if her father were unemployed." 

"You bastard!" Zelgadis reached for the hilt of his sword. "It's because of your operatives poisoning the water in that town that several people became sick and died! Don't you feel any remorse for what you've done??" 

Rezo was nearly laughing, but Zelgadis didn't need to see his face to know that. "I've stopped doing that, haven't I?" he said. "The past is the past." 

"Yeah, ever since I intervened and atoned for the sins you committed!" Zelgadis's hand began shaking with the desire to cut his uncle in half. "That factory you run there is barely making it possible for those who haven't died to survive." 

"And what of it?" Rezo half turned his head toward him. "I don't really consider that business a valued affair. It's only keeping a few poor people from begging in the streets, but as you said, they'll probably die right away if I simply close down that place. Which wouldn't necessarily be such a bad thing if that gave me the opportunity to revamp that destitute town for richer residents." 

Zelgadis whipped his sword out of it sheath and pointed it at Rezo. "If you even try to do something that despicable, I will kill you!" he said. "This time I can't stand by idly while you sacrifice others' lives for your own profit!" 

"You want me to leave that useless business alone?" Rezo asked. "Well, then I suggest that you do what I've asked of you." 

"Kisama (Bastard)…!!" Zelgadis hissed. He took a step toward Rezo. 

"Oya (Oh), you're not thinking of seriously killing me, are you?" Rezo laughed as Zelgadis took several more steps in his direction. "If you want me dead so badly that's fine, but I won't be responsible for what happens after my death. I can guarantee that factory will shut down since I have instructed all of my companies to be eliminated after my death." 

"Na…nani?" Zelgadis stopped right beside Rezo's desk. 

Rezo fully turned to face him. "That only makes sense, sou desu ne (isn't that right), Zelgadis? I don't have an heir to look after these things, after all." 

"Damn you, Rezo!!" Zelgadis held his sword so tightly that he had little doubt he would crush the metal handle within a few seconds. 

"Well, what have you decided, Nephew?" 

Zelgadis was tempted to simply shout a random array of curses at Rezo, rather than stand there silently while Rezo smiled at him. Killing the tall businessman seemed to be his favorite choice, but he couldn't be completely sure that Rezo wasn't merely bluffing. Zelgadis knew that Lina was at least alive at the moment, but if he was too stubborn about helping her, he would most likely ensure several other people's deaths. He already had the numerous people Rezo had indirectly killed with his activities on his conscience; he didn't need to add any more guilt to himself. Reluctantly he sheathed his sword and walked away from Rezo. 

"Fine, I'll set off for Sharmin immediately," Zelgadis said as casually as possible. 

"I'll have someone send you the necessary funds for the rugs," Rezo said, just before Zelgadis slammed the door behind him. He smirked and turned back to the window. "Hmph, you think you can fool me that easily, Zelgadis?"   
  
*******   
  


Lina had thought the best solution to taking a carriage ride with Xellos to their destination was to simply keep her eyes on the passing scenery. Xellos was sitting across from her with a smile that he hadn't removed since they had gotten in. Lina had hoped after an hour or so he would stop looking in her direction like that, but unfortunately Xellos had done no such thing. In fact, Lina wasn't even sure he had made a single move since he had sat down and had stopped talking. For once he decided to take a hint that Lina had no desire to talk with him, but the awkward silence seemed to be less inviting than Xellos's incessant ramblings. Lina didn't quite understand why his seemingly innocent stares at her were more intimidating than most things that made Lina uncomfortable. It wasn't that she feared that Xellos might harm her (not that Lina didn't think he was capable of it), which would have made more sense and could have been a problem more easily fixed. Lina couldn't quite put her finger on why Xellos made her want to keep running until she was positive she was far away enough that he could never reach her. At times she didn't have this feeling so intensely and she could manage to tolerate his presence, but times like these when she was forced to spend such a long period of close contact with him brought out all of her worst qualities. It was as if Xellos knew all of the worst parts of her personality and then tapped at each one, so that they would come out all at once. Lina lost her temper every now and then, but it seemed Xellos could say the simplest things and cause her to explode. Although Lina would admit she was a violent person, she didn't like to think that she solved all of her problems by those kinds of means. She wasn't some kind of a thug or anything like that; it was just that with Xellos around, all that she could think of to do to rid her complications was to use her fists. 

Lina flicked a bead of sweat away near her ear. She wasn't sure she could continue to ignore Xellos any longer. She halfway wished he would say something so she could express her anxiety with words instead of with the actions she was tempted to take. Currently she was thinking of opening one of the doors and tossing Xellos out of the moving carriage. It seemed to be an extreme act, considering Xellos was only gazing at her, but Lina felt that she had lost most of her ability to think rationally. The more rational thing would have been for her to jump out of the carriage herself. There was a fifty-percent chance that Xellos wouldn't follow her. It sounded like a good idea, but Lina had never jumped out of a moving vehicle at the speed they were going. The worst possible scenario would be that she would break a few bones from jumping. 

_Even though jumping out sounds rash, at least it's a better thought than throwing Xellos out,_ Lina thought. _Maybe the pressure of figuring out a way to escape is clouding my judgment. Sure Xellos is a pain, but tossing him out of a moving carriage for looking at me? Not to say that he hasn't done other things that deserve much worse than that…_

The carriage suddenly turned sharply, sending Lina sideways against the adjacent wall. There had been other noticeable turns that had required Lina to grab onto something to prevent her from sliding in her seat, but none were as sudden as the one that had her on her back with her legs hanging in the air. She grabbed the back of her seat and pulled herself up, smoothing her hair back into place. Forgetting for a moment that she didn't want to meet Xellos's gaze, she looked across from her seat to see that Xellos was still sitting in the same spot with his unreadable smile. Lina was certain that he hadn't even moved an inch from the turn. 

"What…what the hell was that??" Lina demanded. She was tempted to ask if he had even noticed the turn, especially since he looked like it hadn't even occurred. 

"Saa (Who know)?" Xellos said. Even then the only thing that moved were his lips. "Perhaps a cat suddenly appeared in the road." 

Lina put a hand on her head, noticing that she had a headache, most likely from the abrupt rattling of her brain. "A cat…" she muttered. She slid over in her seat so that she could turn her gaze back to the window. 

"You look pretty worn out, Lina-san. Perhaps you should lie down. I'm not quite sure how long it will be until we arrive." 

"I'm fine." However, Lina felt as though she were getting tired simply from Xellos's suggestion that she might be tired. Perhaps she was truly tired and had been too busy worrying about what was going through Xellos's head to pay any attention. After all, they had traveled a good distance on foot after leaving Xellos's house and then immediately boarded a boat. Fortunately, there was enough room on the boat that Lina didn't have to be too much in Xellos's proximity, but the ride had been at least two hours. The boat ride was followed by more walking (although Lina had no idea where they were exactly going) before they got into a carriage. Lina was grateful to get off her feet for a while, but wasn't thrilled about basically being enclosed with Xellos for another period of time. It was bad enough having adjoining rooms back at his mansion without situations like the one she was currently in. It was all tiring when she thought about it, especially when she tried talking to him. This was the only time he seemed to want to be quiet, which would have been more suspicious if Lina wasn't sure she was questioning something that was probably good. 

Lina yawned and frowned to herself for doing so and she frowned because it wouldn't be long until it was dark outside. That didn't guarantee that she couldn't look out the window, but she was already bored with what daylight was offering her. The other negative side of the approaching darkness was that Lina would be with Xellos in a dark carriage. There was a lamp hanging from the ceiling, but being with Xellos in even slight darkness made her heat beat. Lina's hands clenched in her lap while she watched the sun gradually disappear. Lina would have liked to take Xellos's suggestion to take a nap, but she had no intention of sleeping while Xellos was lurking by. 

Xellos's chuckle after Lina's fifth yawn drew Lina's attention. "Why are you forcing yourself to stay awake?" he asked. "Are you afraid something is going to happen while your eyes are closed? We probably still have a long way to go." 

"If you think I'm going to shut my eyes while you're around then you're crazier than I've thought," Lina said. She was used to bringing up this complaint, so she only lightly frowned. "How many times have I found you sneaking around in my room, hmm? It seemed there was barely a night I fell asleep and wasn't woken up by you just happening to be in my room for some ridiculous reason." 

Xellos shrugged. "Lina-san, I suppose I should just come clean," he said. "The thought of you sleeping in the nearby room simply excites me. You don't know how enjoyable it is to watch your sleeping face." 

"Stop saying weird things like that!" Lina said, blushing. She rubbed her arms as if she was cold. _Why does he always have to creep me out??_ she thought. 

"I only say it because it's true." 

"Xellos, nothing you say is true, damnit! All you do is spout lies all day!" She felt an even bigger chill when he she saw his shadowed-over grin. This wasn't the first time she had seen that particular expression in the dark, but it never ceased to give her the shivers. "Light the lamp, will you?" 

"Hai, hai." Xellos pulled out some matches and rose to light the lamp. Lina sighed and dropped her head back against the seat. Xellos went back to his original position, although he was grinning as though he had something particular on his mind. 

_Oh, hell, what is it now?_ Lina thought, pretending not to notice. _It's just as I thought-being with Xellos in a dark room is one of the worst situations I could be in!_

"Lina-san." 

Lina stiffened and tried her best to seem uninterested. "What do you want?" 

"Well, I just thought if you're not going to be sleeping any time soon, we might as well do something to make the time pass by more quickly," Xellos said. He shifted in his seat as if he wanted to become more comfortable. 

"Nani?" Lina said. She rubbed her arms again. _Why the hell do I have such a bad feeling?_ she thought. 

"How about a nice, friendly game?" Xellos offered. He pulled out a pack of cards and began shuffling them in his hands. 

"A card game?" Lina raised a brow, trying to think of what possible reason he would have to want to do that. 

"Ee (Yes)." He rested the cards in his left hand. "There shouldn't be any problem with us doing that, deshou (right)? Since you never know what cards you'll get, it's mostly a game a chance." 

"Hmph, what game are we going to play?" Lina guessed if she had to be stuck with Xellos for an indeterminable amount of time, then playing a game might be able to take her mind off her worries. If it would make time fly by more quickly, Lina could find few reasons to decline his offer. 

"A game I have invented myself," Xellos said. "Regardless of whether you have played it or not, each player has an equal opportunity to win." 

"Why's that?" Lina asked. She blinked as he laid three cards face down on the seat beside him. 

"That's because the point of this game is to guess the total of the three cards," Xellos said. He smiled at her and shuffled the remaining cards. "A pretty easy game, ne (right)?" 

"Uhn (Yeah)." Lina folded her arms over her chest. "Which makes it all the more suspicious. There are no other rules in this game? Simply guess the total of the three cards?" 

"Of course, there is more to the game. We each take a turn to determine the number of cards we can flip. You can choose to flip up to two cards or none at all. The more you flip, the more chances you have to get the right answer, but the number of points you can earn decreases each time you flip a card." 

"Points?" 

"Ee (Yes)." Xellos held up five fingers. "If your guess is the closest and no cards have been flipped, you receive five points. Three for one flipped and two for two flipped." 

"What if we're equally close?" Lina asked. 

"Then neither of us gets any points." 

_At least so far this game doesn't sound like it could give Xellos an advantage over me,_ Lina thought. She was already determined to beat Xellos in the game. It would do her good to beat him in this way since she had been unsuccessful in escaping from him. 

"Of course, there are ways to get more than five points," Xellos continued. He spread the cards out so that she could see their faces. "As you can see I've added an extra Joker to the deck to the two that are already here." 

"Why? Do they count more than the others?" 

"In this game, if there is even one Joker within the three cards, you get points regardless of your guess. Of course, only if it's your turn." 

"Hmm…" Lina said, watching him gather the cards back together. "Are you sure this is a game _you've_ invented? I'd think a game that came from your mind would be unusually complicated or unfair." 

"Hidoi desu ne (That's mean), Lina-san," Xellos said. His smile said that he was more amused than offended. "I'd wish you'd give me more credit." 

"Sorry, I'm judging you without cause…" Lina muttered. She rolled her eyes. "So if there happens to be a Joker in the three cards, I'll get automatic points if it's my turn." 

Xellos nodded. "In addition you can also choose to reduce the other player's points by the number you would have gained. For example, if it was my turn and the first card I flipped over happened to a Joker, I could choose to give myself three points or take three points from you, if the other two cards aren't Jokers as well." 

"If? What if one or both of the other cards are Jokers?" 

"If two of three of the cards are Jokers, I can get double the points I would have gotten or take away those double points from you. If all three are Jokers, I can get three times the points or take away half of your points." 

"Wait a minute," Lina said, waving her hands. "If all three are Jokers, you can choose to take half of my points away??" 

"That's right," Xellos said. "Since there are only three Jokers within this deck, the possibility of that happening is low, so that's why I decided to make the benefits of it so great. Let's say that I decide to flip no cards and they all happen to be Jokers. I can add 15 points to my score or reduce your score by half." 

"What if my score is an uneven number?" 

"I simply take the bigger half. If your score were 23, it would be reduced to 11." 

"That doesn't seem very right…" Lina said. 

"Maa (Well), I thought it was a better solution than having all these half points floating around," Xellos said. 

"I guess…" Lina frowned as she tried to see if she understood. "So the Jokers give you automatic points or allow you to reduce your opponent's points. And the number of Jokers determines the number of points you can receive or take, am I right?" 

"You understand it perfectly," Xellos said. He shuffled the cards in arch between his two hands. "Sasuga Lina-san (As expected from Lina). You usually catch on so quickly." 

"Any other rules?" Lina asked, hoping there weren't. 

"Iie, that's just about it. Aces always have a value of one and queens and kings have a value of twenty, and jacks have a value of ten. We'll flip a coin to see who has the first turn, if you agree to play." 

Lina unfolded her arms and placed her hands on her knees. "I guess I can't see the harm in a game." 

"You may call it, Lina-san," Xellos said, pulling out a coin. 

"Heads." Lina said, watching the coin spin in the air. 

Xellos caught the coin and placed it on the back of his hand. "Hmm…tails." 

_I guess it's better he goes first,_ Lina thought. Xellos proceeded to shuffle the cards once again. _I want to see how Xellos plays this game…_

"Sou, sou (By the way), Lina-san," Xellos said. 

If Lina had relaxed any degree since Xellos had proposed they play a game, it disappeared as soon as she saw his insidious grin. She had a feeling his catch was finally showing itself and whatever it was, it would be something incredibly unpleasant. Xellos acted as though he had just thought of something at that moment, but Lina could tell whatever was on his mind had been there way before he brought up his little card game. 

"What do you say we make this game more interesting…hmm?" 

"Ho…How do you mean?" Lina wiped her forehead, surprised it was already wet. Xellos hadn't even said anything and she was already apprehensive. 

"Let's say if you happen to win…" Xellos said in a tone as though he had to think for a second or two, "I'll…tear up your contact with me and forget about the money you owe me." 

Lina fell face forward onto the floor. "Na (Wha)…" she mumbled into the floor. She lifted herself up so that she was in a kneeling position on the floor. "Don't say things you have no intention of doing!" 

"You think I'm lying?" Xellos asked. "I'm completely serious." 

"Fuzakeru ja nai yo (Stop joking around), Xellos," Lina said. She rubbed her face a few times and then settled back into her seat. "I'm not in the mood to listen to your false promises." 

Xellos fished around underneath his shirt and pulled out a document tied with a string. "Does this look like I'm joking around?" he asked. 

"That…that can't be the real thing!" Lina said. 

"Hmm…sou ka na (is that right)?" He unrolled the paper and held it out so that she could read it. 

Lina leaned forward and examined the document. The first thing she looked at was what seemed to be her signature at the bottom. Lina wasn't sure if Xellos could reproduce her sloppy penmanship, but the crafty millionaire was capable of things beyond Lina's comprehension. Even worse, Lina couldn't quite remember everything that was written on the contract. There was little way for Lina to tell if it were real or not. 

"I can't trust that this is the actual contract," Lina said. 

"But can you risk the chance that it is?" Xellos said. When Lina glared at him, he shrugged and rolled the document back up before placing it back underneath his shirt. "You don't really have anything to lose, do you, Lina-san? Even if I'm lying, it's not as if you're going to have to serve me for an additional period of time." 

_That's true,_ Lina thought. _I really don't have anything to lose…_

"I guess we'll just forget about it-" 

"You're on, Xellos," Lina said. She cracked her knuckles. "But you better say your prayers if you're trying to fool me." 

"I promise I'm not," Xellos said. The grin from a minute ago returned. 

_That grin came back, but why?_ Lina thought. _Does the thought of me losing a chance to void my contract thrill him so much? Or is it something else?_

"We'll declare a winner when one of us is first to get at least a hundred points," Xellos said. 

_I can't let Xellos win,_ Lina thought, preparing herself as if she were about to enter a fight. _If I lose, he'll… Wait, a minute, what if Xellos wins? There's no way he'd promise to tear up my contract without getting some kind of promise from me._

"Well then, since it's my turn first--" 

"Hold it, Xellos." 

"Is there a problem, Lina-san?" If Xellos wanted to appear half as innocent, he would had dropped that terrible grin of his to match his clueless tone. 

"What do you get if you win?" Lina said. She frowned as hard as she could under the uncomfortable circumstances. "I know that you're counting on something if I lose this game." 

Xellos laughed as if experiencing a personal joke. "Iya (Well), I was certain you were going to ask that sooner or later," he said. "I already mentioned that I had forgotten that I was required to take this trip and that I find it a most unpleasant trip to take. Therefore, I wondered how I could make it more enjoyable for myself." 

_Why the hell can't he just spit it out??_ Lina silently asked. _Beating around the bush as usual…_

"I thought I could use this trip as an opportunity to get closer to you," Xellos said. 

"Wha…What the hell are you talking about??" Lina asked. She managed not to blush yet, but her heartbeat was gradually quickening. 

"Before you know it, this year of servitude will be over with," Xellos said with dismay that hardly sounded authentic, "and I might never get a chance to spend so much time with you again. You never believe me when I say this, Lina-san, but I'm very attracted to you." 

"Not this crap again!" Lina said, dropping her eyes to the floor. Now she was grateful for the dim light. Perhaps Xellos wouldn't be able to see her blush. "If you knew me better, you'd know that I won't fall for things like that." 

"If you lose this game, Lina-san, I'll show you how serious I am." 

Lina slowly met eyes with Xellos, although she immediately regretted it. She hated looking at Xellos in the first place, but it was ten times worse when he was showing off his violet eyes. Lina was glad he kept them closed most of the time since they always seemed to have a wicked glint to them. 

"You're not being very clear, Xellos," Lina said. She swallowed, hesitating to go on. "What…What do you want…from me?" 

Xellos patted the empty space to his right. "I just want you to come over and sit beside me so that we can…get to know each other better." 

"You…want…what??" Lina wondered if her eyes were about to pop out of her head. Her face was already completely red. "What the hell is going on in your sick mind?? You can't possibly want…want to…to…" 

"We'll play it by ear, Lina-san," Xellos said. He smirked at her reaction which was a mixture between stupor and extreme nervousness. "Saa (Now then), let's start the game." 

"Are you out of your freaking mind, Xellos??" Lina screeched. "I'm not agreeing to that!!" 

"Sou desu ka (Is that right)?" Xellos said, closing his eyes. He placed his hand over the area where the deed most likely was located. "So, not only are you telling me that you had no confidence that you'll win, but also that you are willing to pass up an easy chance to be rid of me forever." 

Lina slammed her hand down on the seat. "Do you really think I'm stupid enough to fall for one of your tricks again??" she said. "I haven't forgotten our little deal in the Houshu Forest! In the end all you did was steal what I was after and try to run off with me!" 

"But I did rescue Zelgadis-san, didn't I?" Xellos said. He shook a finger at her. "Our agreement was that in exchange for a kiss, we'd go and rescue Zelgadis. I promised nothing else." 

"Oh, and how can I be so sure that if I win that you won't try to turn my victory into a advantage for yourself? You could tell me that you won't rip up the contract until after this stupid business trip or rip up the contract and let me go, but then send the police after me or something. When you're involved, you don't just give things for free." 

"But it's not for free, Lina-san. I have a chance to…well, spend some quality time with you. That's something you've never willingly allowed me to have with you." 

Lina put a hand to her stomach. "I have such a bad feeling about this…" she muttered. The feeling she mentioned only became worse when Xellos opened his eyes again. 

"The decision is yours," Xellos said. "We'll still play the game whether you want to bet something or not." 

_My gut tells me not to trust him as far as I can throw him,_ Lina thought, running her forearm across her wet forehead. _But I can't really pass up this chance if that contract is real. Considering Xellos is such a cocky bastard, he probably did bring the real thing just to mock me because he thinks there's no way he'll lose. And even if I lose, I just won't keep my end of the deal and try to steal the contract away from Xellos later when he's sleeping… Yeah…I shouldn't be nervous. It's not as if Xellos hasn't tried anything with me before. I'll just beat him up like I have at his home._

Xellos's eyes were closed again when Lina looked back at him because he was laughing. "Oya (Oh), you certainly took a long time to think about it," he said. "Does that mean you're declining?" 

"No, we're playing this game," Lina said. She glared at Xellos, forcing any thoughts of her loss out of her mind. "I'm gonna win my freedom from you." 

Xellos shuffled the cards and chuckled before resting the cards in his left hard. "Dewa (Well then), let's get started, shall we?"   
  
*******   
  


Lina raised one finger after thinking for a minute or two. Although it were more advantageous to flip no cards, Lina felt as though Xellos's guesses were more accurate whenever one of them decided to keep all the cards covered. Lina suspected Xellos of cheating, but after inspecting the deck of cards herself, there didn't seem to be a way he could have known beforehand which cards were dealt. However, that wasn't the only thing Lina was trying to avoid. It wasn't until their third round when Lina had managed to guess the exact amount of the cards that Xellos mentioned another way to earn more than the average points. She had gotten an extra five points for her correct guess in addition to the three she had gotten for flipping a single card. At first Lina had thought that was a good thing, but not after Xellos had received an extra five point four times. That was too much of amazing coincidence for Lina to ignore. For whatever reason three of the four times he had guessed correctly had been when he had flipped no cards at all, easily gaining him forty points to the score he already had. Lina's score was in the mid thirties, not too far from Xellos's, but she was positive that sooner or later some Jokers would appear in the dealt cards and Xellos would have the opportunity to reduce her score or add to his already leading score. 

Xellos flipped over a card, revealing it to be a ten of spades. His gaze at her asked if that was it and Lina nodded. Since it were her turn, she was allowed to make the first guess. The most the total could be would be fifty and the least would be twelve. Lina, however, knew that it were more likely that the two cards would be different amounts rather than the same. She usually took this into account whenever she guessed, unless she was trying to purposely get a tie with Xellos. Besides getting the more approximate guess herself, a tie was the only way to prevent Xellos from getting any more points. During several of Xellos's turns Lina had made her guess fairly close to Xellos, in the hopes that she would either beat his guess or tie with him. For the most part it was effective, but of course, she couldn't use this technique if it were her own turn. In that case, Lina would have to rely on her luck. She always had thought her luck was pretty good, but it was as if Xellos were a luck-sucking leech. 

Lina removed her hand from her chin as she settled on a number. "Twenty-seven," she said. 

"Jaa (Well then), I'll take nineteen," Xellos said, seemingly without thought. He flipped the other cards without heed of Lina's frown. "Hmm, a five and an eight. I guess it's a tie then." 

Xellos took the cards and began folding them back into the rest of the deck. While he was shuffling, Lina wondered if Xellos had purposely chosen nineteen or if he had been thinking the number the whole time she was choosing. Usually Xellos didn't guess that closely within the number Lina had picked and Lina had rarely won during her own turn. In fact, in all the turns she had within the near hour that had passed, Lina had only won three of her turns. She hadn't really noticed until that point since that was the first tie that had occurred during Xellos's turn. It was possible that Xellos were starting to use the same technique she had been using, which wasn't going to help Lina any. She needed to grab all the points she could before Xellos took the lead any further. 

"I've never done this well in this game before," Xellos said, flipping out three cards for himself. "Perhaps I should have made the winning score a little higher than a hundred." 

"You're not that ahead, Xellos," Lina snapped. "Just because you have sixty-nine points doesn't mean that you're definitely going to win." 

Xellos grinned and nodded. "That's one of things I like about you, Lina-san," he said. "You can manage to have so much fighting spirit…despite you only having thirty-five points." 

"Heh, watch me, Xellos--I'm going to win this before you know it," Lina said. "Now hurry up and decide how many cards you're going to flip." 

"Hmm…" Xellos said. He seemed as though he were thinking about it. 

After a minute of Xellos's brooding, Lina lost the ability to keep her cool. "Come on, it's not that difficult of a choice," she said, snapping her fingers. "You've never had to think about it before." 

"I'll guess fifty-one," Xellos said, smiling. 

Lina blinked. "What the…" she said, trying to see if he were serious. It wasn't that she doubted that he wanted to guess without flipping any cards, it was just that this was the first time he had guessed a number that wasn't even possible. "Xellos, that number isn't even possible!" 

"I never said that you had to guess feasible numbers," Xellos said. "In this game, you can guess any number you like. It's just that doing so doesn't help you win those extra five points." 

_Is trying to say he's so far ahead that he doesn't even need to worry about guessing the right number any more??_ Lina thought. She gritted her teeth and began thinking of her own number. _Bastard shouldn't be so arrogant…_

"Thirty," Lina said. She mumbled a curse after Xellos flipped the cards and revealed the total to be sixty, two queens and one king. If Xellos continued gaining points as he was, it wouldn't be long until she lost the game. Her only solution seemed to be to try harder to get the exact number when she guessed or to flip no cards at all to ensure that whenever her guess was closer that she received the maximum number of points. Now that it was Lina's turn, she wasn't sure which option she should go with. She didn't really want to give Xellos an opportunity to get five points himself and she didn't really want to flip any cards and increase his chances of having the closer approximation. Either way wasn't completely without disadvantages, so Lina took a minute to decide which method would be most successful for achieving points for herself. 

"Dou shimashita ka(Something wrong), Lina-san?" Xellos teased. "Is it a difficult decision?" His chuckling prevented her from telling him to shut up. Lina was the one that rushed him last time, so she supposed she deserved it even if she didn't particularly appreciate it. 

"Two," Lina said. She was partially relieved when they were both queens. That reduced the number of guesses considerable. "Forty-two." 

"Sixty," Xellos said. He smiled when he turned over the last card and it happened to be a two of hearts. "How lucky! I was beginning to think that your luck had run out." 

"Just set up the next round and shut up," Lina said. Xellos complied with only a tiny sign that he was laughing at her on the inside. 

Lina's efforts to stop Xellos's lead in the next set of rounds were about half successful. Within in the thirteen they played, Lina won seven rounds, while Xellos only won three. The other three were ties and had put their scores at 82 - 59. Lina was shortening the gap between them, but Xellos didn't need to win many more points to win, especially if he won five-point rounds. Although attempting to get ties weren't impossible, Lina couldn't completely rely on that technique. She needed to figure out why Xellos was doing so well in the game. True, he had invented the game himself and was most familiar with it, but his game was hardly one that experience played a factor. That was why Lina couldn't simply accept the fact that Xellos was beating her so well at the game. If she didn't know any better she might have accused him of cheating. It was possible he was doing so, but it wasn't obvious whether he was doing it or not. 

Xellos started placing the cards down for his turn. "You're doing pretty well, Lina-san, to have gotten as far as you have," he said. "Even though I need a little less than twenty points to win." 

"Stop acting so superior," Lina said, making a motion for him to hurry up. "You can brag _after_ you manage to beat me." 

"Maa (Well), I guess it's one of those times where I shouldn't count my chickens before they're hatched, ne?" he asked. His smile remained steadfast despite Lina rolling her eyes at his comment. "All right, I'll flip one card." 

Xellos guessed ten since the card was a five of spades, so Lina decided to stay near the number he had selected and choose sixteen. The other two cards were another five and a three, so the round ended in a tie. Lina was relieved that Xellos hadn't received any more points, but she was frustrated that she wasn't getting any points either. She was beginning to sweat when her turn came up, wondering if Xellos might actually win and what she might have to do if she couldn't prevent it. Lina shook her head and removed such thoughts out of her head. Although Xellos seemed like the luckiest bastard in the world since he found always managed to find her like magic, Lina was no jinx herself. Her luck was the main reason she did such reckless things (and the fact that she could usually drag Zelgadis along on the venture). 

Xellos smiled to ask what she wanted without speaking, which Lina appreciated since she didn't want to hear any more of his arrogant comments. "One," she said. 

"Otto (Oh)," Xellos said, flipping over a Joker. 

"Yes!" Lina said, while Xellos flipped over the other two. Neither were Jokers, but an automatic win was good enough for her. 

"All right, what will it be? Will you take the three points for yourself or take them from my score?" 

_Hell, reducing his score by three won't do much,_ Lina thought. _I might not get another chance to get any more points myself. Unless I can reduce his score by a lot then it's pointless._

"I'll take the three," Lina said. 

Now that Lina had sixty-two points and Xellos was still at eighty-two, Lina knew she couldn't risk not flipping any more cards, regardless if that was a disadvantage for herself. She had thought her decision would only be about half effective since Xellos was more likely to choose not flip any cards, but Xellos seemed to have the same thing in mind. Within the next five rounds, neither he nor Lina went without flipping over at least one card. Lina couldn't let herself be pleased that he was doing the same thing without being suspicious of his reasons. By the time it was Lina's turn again, after Xellos had won three two-point rounds, Lina saw his reluctance to leave all the cards unturned as an attempt to mock her. Lina certainly felt annoyed, since she had only won a single round that increased her score by two points. The previous round had ended in a tie. Lina even wondered if avoiding a five-point gain for Xellos would have any affect on his constant scoring. When she thought of it more, it seemed more reasonable to simply guess with no regard to what cards were flipped. She could see why that could be the reason why Xellos was so good at the game since he was a king of randomness himself. 

"Lina-san, let me tell you one tip," Xellos said, pulling Lina away from her thoughts. "The best strategy in this game is to not think very hard. Regardless of a plan you make may, it all depends on luck." 

Lina grimaced. "Thanks for your advice," she muttered. 

"It's your turn." 

"I know, I know." Lina frowned to herself before turning the frown to Xellos. "I'll show you my luck right now. I'll guess forty." 

"I'll say thirty, then." He hesitated turning over the three cards. "I'm glad you're brave enough to press your luck." 

"Just flip the cards," Lina commanded. 

Xellos flipped the first card, a Joker. "Oya (Oh), again?" he said. His tone was faintly surprised, if even that. 

Lina simply smiled, holding back her cheer. "Do the rest," she said. 

"Hai, hai." He turned over the last two which both were Jokers as well. 

"Yatta (I did it)!" Lina jumped out of her seat and laughed as she have done had she won a large sum of money. "Well, Xellos? How about that?" 

"I'm pleasantly surprised, Lina-san," Xellos said, through more of Lina's laughter. "So what are you going to decide? Will you take the fifteen points or will you reduce my score by half?" 

Lina smirked and plopped back down into her chair. "I'll reduce your score by half, of course," she said. 

"Dewa (Well then)," Xellos said, with no indication of resentment, "the score is now forty-four to sixty-four." 

_Ha, with this gap I'll definitely keep the lead,_ Lina thought. 

"Hmm…I'll flip two cards," Xellos said. "Sate (Now then)…" 

Lina barely paid attention while Xellos turned over two of the cards. _Hehe, I can almost taste my freedom now!_ she thought. Her fists unconsciously tightened beside her. _It won't be much longer…_   
  
*******   
  


"Okay, that's another five points for me…" Xellos said, placing the three cards back into the deck. He shuffled them for a couple of seconds before dealing out three cards. "Now it's your turn again, Lina-san." 

Lina ignored the sweat building up on her forehead, concentrating on the next round. _I have to keep calm,_ she thought. It seemed as though the last set of rounds had nearly taken away all of her confidence. _Just because Xellos has gained back half of his points doesn't mean anything. Right now, I'm only ten points away from achieving my goal. There's no reason to get nervous about my inevitable victory._

There seemed to be nothing Lina could do to keep Xellos from catching up. It was almost as if Xellos won three rounds for every one round Lina won. In addition to that, the two of them were tying more than anything. Lina wasn't truly trying to cause that, but she could swear that Xellos was trying to stop her from getting any more points. However, Lina's score was so close to the winning score that she soon rose up to ninety-nine points after about fifteen minutes had passed. With only one point needed to win and Xellos still behind enough not to win with just another single round, Lina felt her confidence come back to her. 

"Ha!" Lina said, truly grateful for the last round that had put her so close to victory. "All I need is one more point!" 

Xellos grinned. "I truly hope that during this round you get the point that you want," he said. 

"You may have eighty-six now, but you'll have to prevent me from scoring from here on after," she said. 

Xellos's grin spread a bit wider, but Lina didn't really take that much notice. "That's exactly correct," he agreed. "Jaa (Well), I'll test by my luck and flip none. Let's see what will happen." 

Lina wasn't too concerned about either of their guesses, but when Xellos turned over a Joker, her eyebrow raised a little. "I guess one's not too bad…" 

"Oya (Oh), another one," Xellos said, after turning over the second. 

"Hey, wait a minute--" 

Xellos turned over the last card and it was no surprise that it was also a Joker. Lina really couldn't believe that such a rarity had happened twice in their game. They probably had been playing the game for quite a while, but she doubted that something like that happened very often in the game. Lina had thought of it before, but now she was really questioning whether Xellos was cheating or not. 

"What the hell??" Lina said. She pointed at the cards as if they were fake. "How could this happen again so quickly??" 

"Maybe it's just my lucky day," Xellos said. He laughed off Lina's glare and waved his hands. "Actually, Lina-san, it has been a half hour ago since this last happened. It's not as if it were two rounds ago or something. Things like this happen again." 

Lina ran her hands through her hair as if she'd soon tear off handfuls of it. _Damnit, it's all over!_ she thought. _With this, Xellos has won this game! I don't know how the hell he cheated to make those three Jokers pop up again, but without having some kind of proof to expose him, there's no real point and saying he cheated… Damnit, I was so close!!_

"Hmm, I'll reduce your score by half," Xellos said. He put the cards back into the deck and shuffled them. It wasn't until he had laid out the next three cards that he acknowledged Lina's expression. "Is there something wrong, Lina-san?" 

Lina leaned forward. "What do you mean by that??" she said. "With those fifteen points you could have won! Why the heck are you taking away half of my score??" 

"That's because…" Xellos said, giggling in between as if he were thinking of something amusing, "I'd like to give you another chance to win. After all, you are trying to win your freedom here." 

A normal person might have been slightly grateful that Xellos was kind enough to give them another chance. What Xellos had said was true; Lina was getting close to a chance that would probably never pop up again. Of course, Lina Inverse wasn't a normal person and she knew full well that Xellos was not an intentionally nice person. 

"Xellos, sometimes I want to kill you so badly, I'm surprised you are still alive talking to me right now," Lina said. She pounded her fist on the seat next to her. "Fuzakeru nai yo (Stop messing around)! Don't even try to pretend like you're being generous! You get your kicks from giving people a taste of what they want just before you take it right away from them! It's like that time we were in Bravo!" 

"Iya (Well), that was a fun time," Xellos said. He made a thoughtful look as if he were reminiscing about it. 

"Stop talking like it was like fifteen years ago," Lina snapped. Her hands began to shake. "What is wrong with you anyway?? Normal people don't take pleasure in this kind of stuff!" 

"Someone as abnormal as you, lecturing me," Xellos laughed. He shrugged. "I won't admit I'm the average person, but I won't admit I'm doing this to play around with you either. Whatever you want to think is fine. It's your choice whether you'll continue this game or not. You can refuse and we'll just forget about our little deal." 

Lina folded her arms over her chest. "What's the point now?" she said. "There's almost a forty point gap between our scores and you only need fourteen points to win." 

"I can't believe that's your excuse," Xellos said. "I would believe that the prize is worth the effort, regardless of the odds." 

"I'm not going to have you talk me into again," Lina said. She let out a breath and put her hands behind her head. "I should have never let you do so in the first place." 

"All right," Xellos said, holding up a finger, "how about if I sweeten the deal, hmm?" 

"Nani?" Lina's left brow raised. 

"How about I rip up the contract and give you…a thousand gold pieces for your troubles? According to you, this whole thing has been nothing but an ordeal." 

"A thousand gold pieces??" Lina repeated. It was hard for her to stop thinking about the money long enough to get back on her guard. She shook her head and pretended he didn't offer the money. "Okay, why can't you be satisfied until you beat me in this game?" 

"I just…" Xellos said, trying to look more innocent before he went on, "simply enjoy testing my own luck against yours." 

"Of course, what else would it be?" Lina said. Xellos's shrug didn't help her lose her sarcasm one bit. _I guess I might as well give it a try,_ she thought. _Having my freedom and that money would be the best ending to this nightmare I could think of. Well, besides Xellos breaking every bone in his body, but I can still make that happen if he thinks I'll hold up my end of the bargain. Either way, he's going to have a date with my fist if he wins or if I win and I don't get that money and my freedom._

"Okay, Xellos, but I want that money as soon as we get to our destination," Lina said. "Let's finish this game." 

"Great," Xellos said. He motioned to the cards. "It's your turn." 

Although Lina didn't desire to lose to Xellos, she didn't have much of a clue as to how she would turn the game around for herself. Most of the rounds would have to end in a tie or with Lina winning. Although Xellos had been doing that from the beginning, Lina thought it was some kind of incredible fluke or due to some secret method Xellos was using to win. However, after about ten rounds that were almost completely a win for her, Lina began to think that possibly Xellos's previous success in the game was purely due to his luck. If that were the case, then Xellos's luck had run out. Xellos could only manage to win three rounds within the next forty-five minutes they had played. Lina, on the other hand, had won so many rounds that she had gone from forty-nine points to ninety points. Although the two of them had about fifteen ties, Lina had won about just as many rounds herself. It would have helped if Lina had gotten the exact number a few times, but her luck hadn't been that good. She had also been hoping that a Joker would pop up and give her an unexpected and easy win, but unfortunately not a single one had been dealt since the turn that should have let Xellos win. Lina constantly kept reminding Xellos that he would have already won by now if he hadn't been so adamant about winning in a certain way. She assumed that he had intended to win with a huge difference between their scores, so that he could better mock her defeat. Lina knew that odds that she would win were just as good as those that Xellos would win, but she couldn't help herself from chuckling when she thought of how she had messed up Xellos's little plan to humiliate her. 

"Yes!" Lina said, as she won another five-point round. She covered her mouth and she snickered at Xellos. _Baka (Moron)!_ she thought. _I bet now you're regretting giving me another chance to win. For once, things aren't going according to Xellos's twisted mind._

They tied in the next round before Xellos himself won a round that rose his own score to ninety-five. "Since we're at a tie," Xellos said, easy-going as always, "we ought to make each round worth five points until one of us wins. After all, we both only need five points to win, deshou (right)?" 

"Uhn (Yeah)," Lina said. She only felt about halfway anxious. Each of them had the same amount of opportunity to win. 

Lina estimated it would only be about three times, at the most, that they would have to do a five-point round until one of them won. The last thing she expected would happen would be that they would tie six straight times. Lina was sure something like that was nearly impossible. Sure they had been tying more frequently ever since Xellos had given her a second chance, but they hadn't even tied in a row more than twice. After about the ninth time, Lina was starting to get sick of it. Before, she was merely concentrating on staying close to Xellos's guess to increase her chances of winning if he happened to be close to the right number, but the frequent ties were positively driving her crazy. 

"…Fifteen…" Xellos said, saying his number carefully as if he were nervous that Lina would explode any moment. 

"We are absolutely not having a tenth tie!" Lina said. "Fifty!" 

Xellos flipped over the cards. "It's seventeen…" he said. He rubbed the back of his head, still pretending to be wary of Lina's reaction. "Well, you got you wanted…" 

"Yeah!" Lina said, nodding. She was about to add more, but then it dawned on her that she had lost. "It's…seven…teen?" 

"Ee (Yes)." Xellos dropped his act and let out a series of chuckles that sounded like they had been building up for a while. 

"I…I…" Lina's cheeks became a light pink. "Kuso (Shit)… All that stupid tying…" 

"What in the world were you thinking, Lina-san?" Xellos said in between chuckles. "The best thing to do in this situation is to keep your guess close to your opponent's number." 

"Grr!" Lina said. "I don't need to you to tell me that! I was trying to do that!" 

Xellos shook his finger at her. "Once again, your anger has gotten in the way of your good judgment," he said. 

"Urusai (Shut up)!" Lina said. "I bet somehow you were making us tie so many times and you planned to make me upset so that I would lose!" 

Xellos listened to the rest of Lina's rants while he gathered up all the cards and then replaced them underneath his shirt. Her heated commenting went on without much care whether or not Xellos was listening, which he wasn't after a while. He smirked as he turned down the wick of lamp, dimming the light further in the carriage and instantly ceasing Lina's ranting. Lina's expression quickly turned to one of extreme caution. 

"Dewa (Now then), Lina-san," Xellos said his voice barely above a whisper, "it's time for you to honor your part of the agreement." 

The red that was in Lina's face disappeared and blue replaced. _He can't be serious,_ she thought. _He has to be wanting to get me riled up and laugh at me later._

"Come on over," Xellos said, smiling as if he wanted to soothe her nerves. It had the opposite effect, especially when he patted the seat next to him. 

Lina sweat-dropped and sunk further down into her seat. "You've got to be out of your mind, Xellos," she said. "The only reason I agreed to play that game was to have my contract ripped up. I had no intention of giving you what you wanted." 

"Hidoi desu (That's horrible)," Xellos said. He was grinning as though it was a response he was expecting. "I was really going to rip up that contract if you happened to win." 

"Ye…Yeah right…" Lina said softly. She wasn't sure if it was because she felt uncomfortable or if she was simply going along with what Xellos was doing. 

Xellos snorted and shrugged before he stood up. "Well, if you're not going to come over to me, then I'll have to come over to you." 

"You…You even try and touch me," Lina said, her voice shaking as well as the fists she were raising, "I'll…I'll…" 

"You really are bad at keeping your promises…Lina-san," Xellos said, slowly approaching her. He chuckled as she slid down into the corner of her seat. "You should have already learned your lesson by now." 

"Keep…Keep back or I'll beat the…the…" Lina stammered. She used her fists as shields, but it wasn't stopping Xellos one bit. "I'm serious! I'll--" 

Xellos placed his hands on both sides of Lina's head, against the wall of the carriage. He leaned in forward with his purple eyes locked on Lina's. She had hoped that spending so much time with him had rid her of this irrational uneasiness around Xellos, but it seemed as though it were stronger than ever. Lina felt like she was paralyzed from the neck down. 

"What were you saying?" Xellos said. "What are you going to do if I don't keep back?" 

"I'll…I'll break your…your…your…" Lina's lips pressed hard together and her eyes bugged out after Xellos moved onto the seat so that he was squatting over her. 

"Come on, Lina-san, let's try to get along for this trip," Xellos said. He moved his head closer to Lina's so that their noses were nearly touching. "It'd be a shame to waste this opportunity…" 

"You…" Lina said, unable to finish her sentence. She did, however, manage to raise her hands far enough to push Xellos away. Had she just been angry at him, it would have been a simple shove. Despite Lina's brain telling her to force him away, her hands were acting as if Xellos were made out of some kind of heavy metal. It didn't help either that Xellos appeared to be enjoying her effort. 

"Get the hell away from me!" Lina said. She was glad she was able to get the words out, but hated that her tone didn't sound as furious as it should have been. Xellos's laughter was slightly helpful because it was helping her body listen to her commands. 

"And if I refuse?" Xellos laughed at how easily he was able to move Lina's hands away. "You shouldn't be such a sore loser. I'll get away as soon as I've been rewarded for my victory…" 

"Xellos, don't you dare!" Lina said. The only time Lina was shaking so violently and sweating so much was just before her sister "punished" her. Of course, this situation wasn't as scary as that, but it was a close runner up. Her knees instinctively raised up to push him away; it had little affect on Xellos's advances. 

"Just sit back and relax, Lina-san," Xellos said. His eyes finally closed and he smiled as if he weren't going to do anything. Of course, it appeared as though he were since he moved so that he was resting against Lina and then cupped his hand under her chin. 

"Ya…Yamete (St…Stop)!" Lina's started moving about as much as she could with Xellos so close by. "I'll kill you if you…if you--" 

"Ah, zan'nen desu ne (what a shame)," Xellos said. He pulled back from Lina and stood up. "Wow, how times flies by!" 

Lina blinked, just then noticing that the carriage had stopped moving. "E…ee (huh)?" she said, staring at him. 

"Come on, Lina-san," Xellos said, opening the right-side door. He climbed out before she had even gotten up. "We're here." 

"Wha…" Lina slowly sat up in the seat, her body gradually becoming still. "What the hell??" 

Lina heard Xellos calling her from afar to hurry up, but it took her a while to get to her senses. She wanted to be incredibly angry, but all she could do was blush from the moment she stepped out of the carriage. Xellos was walking toward some building that was most likely an inn. 

Xellos turned his head back, but didn't stop. "Lina-san, are you tried or something?" he asked. "We're almost to the inn, but if you want me to carry you the rest of the way, I'll be happy to oblige!" 

"Why is he…" Lina began. She was grateful when her rage finally showed itself. "You think you can act like you weren't just trying to take advantage of me?? You little bastard!" 

Xellos knew that he couldn't make it to the inn before Lina charged at him. "Lina-san, I was just--" he said. 

"Urusai yo (Shut up)!!" Lina cracked her knuckles. "You're a dead man, Xellos!" 

Xellos was sweating just slightly. "Yare, yare (Oh, no)…"   


To be continued...

  
  


--Next Part: Xellos and Lina visit some of Xellos's businesses, Zelgadis goes to Sharmin, and a business meeting leads Lina to do Xellos another favor... What's the favor? Well, by the time anyone reads this, I hope I've already got that part up. If not, I'll try my best to not make it a long wait! Please read the other half of this chapter! Arigatou! ^_^ 


	10. Business and Pleasure, Part Two

*Author's Notes: Hi! Yes, I finished the rest of this chapter in a timeley fashion. Aren't you happy? Yeah, we'll see how happy you are when the next update comes. Anyway, this part had a lot of scenes I liked. My favorite was the bakery one. Oh, and the guest star finally makes an entrance! Yay! Actually, I hate this character in the anime. He/She gets on my nerves. That's probably why I portray them kinda unfavorably. If you like him/her, I'm sorry. I'd really like it if I could have killed him or her, but it wouldn't have made much sense... Not really. Oh, there's a particular important scene between Xellos and Lina that I could have made better at the end of the business meeting. Yeah, I could have made that part a bit more descriptive, but I got lazy. Anyway, it happened, so you should just be happy that it did. Well, again sorry for the lack of great details on that certain part toward the end. I hope you'll enjoy everything anyway. If not, I apologize. I can't please you all, ne? Happy reading! ^_^   
**

Business and Pleasure, Part Two

**  


"Oh, my, what happened to you?" the innkeeper asked. 

Xellos leaned on his cane for support. "Iya (Well)…" he said with a swollen face and black eye, "we had a little accident on the way here." 

"Sou desu ka (Is that right)?" the innkeeper said, scratching at his bald head. "How unfortunate." 

Xellos shifted his cane to his left side so that he could hold his ribs with his right arm. "E…Ee (Ye…Yes)," he said. 

"I'm assuming that the two of you want a room since I saw someone bring in your bags," the man said. He flipped through a book and then smiled up at them. "You two are perhaps a couple on your honeymoon?" 

Lina, standing beside Xellos as if he were some disease she didn't want to catch, was stunned for a few seconds that someone could make such an assumption. "Us a couple--" she said. 

"Yada (Oh, no), is it that obvious?" Xellos said. For the first time since he had limped into the inn he left his ribs unattended by one of his arms. He rubbed the back of his head and made a impressively goofy grin. Lina found it impressive he could make such an expression when his face looked like a bee-sting victim's. 

"You two make a lovely couple," the man said, smiling along with Xellos (though not as stupidly). 

"Who's a lovely couple??" Lina roared. She elbowed Xellos down on his head, sending him to the floor. She stepped up the desk and leaned into the innkeeper's face. "We are _not_ together…got that??" 

"Of…Of course," the man said. He adjusted his collar. "Forgive me for jumping to conclusions…" 

Lina backed off at the same time Xellos got back on his feet. "Actually the two of us are on a business trip," he said. He gave Lina a smile as if to apologize, but her face was impenetrable to his false sentiments. 

"You're still on thin ice for that thing in the carriage," Lina muttered. 

"Gomen, gomen (Sorry, sorry)," Xellos said. He replaced his arm over his ribs again. 

The man cleared his throat. "Well, it may be a bit troublesome that the two of you aren't a couple," he said. He flipped through the book in front of him. 

"Why do you say that?" Xellos asked. 

"We do have one room available, but I'm afraid it is meant for a couple," the innkeeper said. "There's only one bed." 

"You're kidding, right??" Lina said. She grabbed the edge of the marble counter. "Isn't there anything you can do about that??" 

"Not really, but I--" 

"It's fine," Xellos interrupted. "We'll take the room." 

"We'll take the room??" Lina echoed. She had Xellos by his collar in an instant. "What the hell are you saying?? If you think you can finish what you started in the carriage--" 

"That's not my intention at all," Xellos said. He waved his hands frantically. "I promise to be 'good.' Anyway, I don't have much time to play around. As I said before, I have to take care of several things while I'm in this area, so I really need the sleep. At this hour I don't think it's very wise to look for another inn that could accommodate us better." 

Lina walked up to Xellos so that she could better glare in his face. "Hontou ni (Really)?" she asked. 

"…Hontou ni…" Xellos said, sweat-dropping. Even he couldn't ignore Lina's third-degree manner. "I promise not to touch a hair on your head." 

"You better not." Lina thought it best to glare at him for a few more seconds to emphasize her point. "Because I'll promise you that you will regret it if you do. I won't be like I was in that carriage." 

"Ha…Hai…" 

The innkeeper wiped a bead of sweat from his forehead and clasped his hands together. "So…what will it be, you two?" he asked. "It really is a lovely room. This is one of the best inns you'll find in the next couple of towns." 

"Yes, I know," Xellos said. "We'll take it." 

"Wonderful," the innkeeper said. He fetched the keys from the wall behind him and then handed them to Xellos. "I hope you'll enjoy your stay." 

Xellos finished writing his name in the book and nodded. "Thank you very much," he said. 

"Thanks," Lina muttered, following Xellos to the room. She was too busy imagining having to share a bed with Xellos to notice that the inn was pretty nice. A man had picked up their bags and was escorting them to their room, but the last thing Lina was concerned about was her bag. It didn't seem enough retribution to have only roughed up Xellos a little; whatever he had been planning to do to her in the carriage, he was pretty serious about it. Lina didn't doubt that Xellos enjoyed watching her act like some kind of maniac, but she had thought that was the only thing he had enjoyed. Apparently, Xellos was interested in an extra thing when Lina was concerned. When she had thought he was merely joking with all of his come-on's, it was much easier to deal with them; now Lina had to deal with the fact that there was some truth to his disturbing comments. 

"Just what I need…" Lina said. For a second she stopped looking at Xellos's back and acknowledged the fact that she had just walked up two flights of stairs. Xellos and the bellhop had started moving through the halls again, so she returned her attention to Xellos's retreating back. "Now I can't even relax for one second!" 

Lina snapped her fingers and recalled that she had made some preparations for problems with Xellos. She put a hand to her chin and smiled to herself. There was a small chance that the bed-sharing thing could work out after all.   
  
********   
  


Xellos slipped into the side of the bed closest to the door and pulled the covers down just below his chest. He fixed one of the many white pillows behind his back and leaned back against the wooden head of the bed. It was about two hours to midnight, according the clock near the door, but Xellos had already figured as much judging by the time they had been in the carriage. He yawned, not from actual fatigue, but with the mindset of the next day's tasks. 

"It truly will be boring…" Xellos said to himself. His eyes turned to the bathroom door when he heard the sound of the faucet running. "Or perhaps not since Lina-san will be accompanying me." 

A smile came to Xellos face as he thought of the possibilities. In truth, he wished he had the leisure to take advantage of the possibilities of the room they were sharing. As the innkeeper had said, it was certainly intended for a couple desiring a romantic getaway. There were an abundance of various candles about the room, especially around the bed and bouquets of roses and tulips excessively decorated the room. The two-chair table near the large window had already been set up with glasses, two bottles of champagne, and basket of fresh fruit. By that time the fruit was already gone, eaten by Lina within the first minute they had entered the room. It was then that Xellos took notice that she was hungry, even though Lina was hardly quiet about it even after finishing off the fruit. Xellos made sure that Lina was able to eat something in the inn's kitchen downstairs, lest he incur the wrath of a cranky and hungry Lina Inverse. After that (and Lina throwing out most of the flowers in the room out the window), Lina seemed pleased enough to get ready to go to sleep. 

"Lina-san, are you almost done?" Xellos asked. "You've been in there for quite a while." 

There was a silence for a few seconds as if Lina might not have heard him, but she spoke right at the moment Xellos was about to repeat himself. "It's obvious you've never shared a bathroom with a woman," she said. 

"What do you mean by that?" Xellos said, tilting his head to the side. 

"I mean that you never rush a woman when she's using the bathroom!" 

"Naru hodo (I see)." Xellos put his hands behind his head and decided to leave their conversation at that. When Lina finally did come out he greeted her with a smile which she obstinately ignored. "You know, Lina-san, you really have nice legs. You should wear pants less often." 

Lina was tempted to go back into the bathroom and change from her shorts back to her pants. "I thought you said you were going to behave," she said, eyebrow twitching with annoyance. 

"I will, I will," Xellos said. He slid down so that his head was resting on the pillow now. "Forgive me for that last comment. So, are you ready to come to bed now?" 

"Just about," Lina said, grinning. She walked over to her bag resting next to a dresser on her side of the bed and began digging in it. "One second." 

Xellos sat up again, trying to see over Lina's back, but he was unable to see what she was doing. "What exactly are you getting?" he asked. 

"Oh, just a little insurance." She pulled out something, closed her bag and stood with her back still to Xellos. Lina was laughing as if she was very pleased with herself. 

"Insurance? For what?" 

Lina turned toward him with a grin that would suit any kind of lunatic murderer. The sharp butcher knife in her right hand certainly added to her killer image. Even Xellos couldn't help but take Lina seriously; a sweat-drop soon appeared on the side of his head. 

"Just some insurance if you get any ideas," Lina said. "I'm going to sleep with this in my hand." 

Xellos tried to laugh away some of the tension between them, but Lina's smile in response was anything but joking. "I'll…make sure to keep on my side of the bed," he said. 

"See that you do," Lina said in a tone that sounded sweet but had a deadly undertone. She and her knife slipped under the covers. "Good night, Xellos." 

"Ee (Yes)…Good night," Xellos said. He leaned over to the nightstand on his side so that he could blow out the candle, but he felt the need to hesitate before doing so. Xellos knew that he wasn't the most trustworthy person in the world, but he couldn't help but think that sleeping with a knife was a little over the top. Xellos eventually blew out the light and settled back in the bed. Only one of them had a completely restful sleep that night.   
  
********   
  


Lina had thought the best way to rid herself of Xellos was to find out some of the unsavory activities he was involved in. She had spent weeks sneaking around and eavesdropping on him with not so much as a clue to any of his misdeeds; one day with Xellos around one of the towns he "owned" told her more than she could have ever expected to know. In fact, Lina now regretted knowing so much about Xellos. There was not one establishment that he owned that didn't have some kind of evil involved. One that stood out in Lina's mind was their first stop after breakfast. Xellos informed them they would be traveling to the local library so that he could do his yearly check on its status. From the beginning Lina found it strange that Xellos would have bought a knowledge-encouraging library, which was something she could consider a good thing. She had been impressed by the number of books in the facility and the quality of its architecture. Anyone was allowed to borrow a book from the library, regardless of status, and all the staff seemed friendly and helpful. Lina was so close to changing her opinion of Xellos, that when the two of them went down to the practically hidden basement, she was in disbelief for several minutes before she remembered again that she was dealing with someone who was renown for his immorality. Underneath the pleasant library scene was a smoky basement devoid of much light and full of drinking and gambling. Lina had to remind herself several times that those people rolling dice on a table and falling drunk on a filthy floor were in a place that was supposed to be a library. Xellos claimed that it was a gambling hall that he turned into library that didn't quite work out. Somehow Lina found that his explanation worsened the situation, especially when he claimed that he tried to dissolve the gambling hall in the basement, but the gamblers kept coming back so he had to put them somewhere. Of course, he didn't mind at all that he was profiting from all the sinning below. Lina wasn't opposed to gambling, but using a library as a cover-up for a place to gamble didn't seem appropriate at all. 

Although their first stop gave Lina a clear picture of the type of places that Xellos owned, she was still blown away when she discovered how greedy and despicable he was. His furniture shop sold low-quality goods that were guaranteed to break within a week of purchase. Lina had thought it was just as well since there was a nearby repair shop across the street, but unfortunately that was also owned by Xellos and only repaired things so that they would only stay repaired for about a month or two before the person would have to return to have it repaired again. Unless people wanted to make their own tables and such, they had no choice but to go to the shops Xellos owned. Xellos excused himself for ripping people off by letting Lina know that some people traveled to the next town over to buy good furniture. However, that only lowered Lina's opinion of him since the town he spoke of took about five days to travel by horse and about as twice as much if by foot. 

It was late afternoon and Lina had given up hoping that Xellos was involved in at least one honest business. They had traveled to all kinds of places and none of them were as good as Xellos wanted them to appear. Even the bakery they were at now had to have some kind of horrible objective behind it. Xellos had told her she could have free samples of some of the goods, so it distracted her from noticing anything terrible while he talked with those who ran the shop. 

Lina finished off the bread she had been eating and then continued looking around the shop. It was certainly making her hungry looking at some many cakes, cookies, breads, pastries, and the like. The two of them had been walking around all day and she hadn't gotten to eat much of anything. Although Xellos hadn't given her the okay to eat a particularly tasty-looking cake that had caught her eye, Lina couldn't help herself but taste its frosting. She ran her finger over the white topping and grinned and she brought it up to her lips. 

"Dame desu (Don't do it), Lina-san!" Xellos said, grabbing her hand. 

"Xellos, what's the--" Lina began. A scream caught in her throat as Xellos suddenly drew his mouth over her finger and took off the frosting covering it. 

"That was close," he said, releasing her hand. He was immediately smacked with the same hand. "Ow!" 

"What the hell do you think you're doing??" Lina roared, red-faced. Her hand scrunched into a fist. "I thought I warned you before!!" 

"It's not what you think, Lina-san," Xellos said. He took a step back from Lina just to be safe. "I was trying to save your life." 

"Save my life??" Her other hand went into a fist in response to her confusion. "You call that saving my life??" 

Xellos pointed to cake on the shelf beside her. "If you had eaten that cake, you would have been killed within one to two days," he said. 

"Na (What)…" Lina looked at the cake as if it would give her a clue as to what Xellos was talking about. It was her reasoning that eventually led her to figure out what he meant, and she turned back to him. "You mean that cake is poisoned??" 

"Bingo!" Xellos said all too happily. He placed a hand on her shoulder and led her to a table where a basket of rolls were resting. "Other things are poisoned too, like these rolls here." 

Lina held her throat as if she had already been poisoned. "Then what I just ate--" 

"Don't worry, we keep most of the poisoned stuff in the back. Everything you ate was safe, except for that cake. I didn't think I'd have to worry about the dangerous stuff since I thought you wouldn't stray away to this side of the bakery." 

"Xellos, what kind of person are you??" Lina said. She grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him. "Normal people do not sell things like this!" 

"That might be true," Xellos agreed, "but there are quite a few people that want to kill people discreetly." 

Lina's face began to lose its color when she saw the proud expression forming on Xellos's face. It was like he was talking about clothing downtrodden people the way he was acting. Lina didn't know whether to be more scared or disgusted to be in Xellos's presence. 

"I'm happy to say that since I started this venture I've had about a hundred different poisons developed that have little or no taste and kill within various time periods. Why we even have one that--" 

"Stop!" Lina said. She walked away from him and gripped her arms. "I didn't think I could regret having involved myself with you any more than I did before…" 

"You're always so cold to me," Xellos said. It would have helped him if he weren't smiling like he was having too much fun. "I even stopped you from ingesting some deadly frosting and you don't give me so much as a thank you." 

"As if I'm going to thank you for putting your disgusting mouth on my--" Lina blinked and turned back to Xellos who had the same smile on his face. "Xellos, you…you…" 

"Hmm?" 

Lina pointed at him. "Xellos, you just ate some of that poison!" she said. "It's going to kill you!" 

"Sou desu ka (Is that right)?" Xellos laughed. "I guess that means you'll finally be free of me in about a day, right?" 

"Na (Wha)…" Lina said as Xellos continued to laugh. When he was finished doing that he complimented the shopkeeper on the good job before he left. "Wa…Wait!" 

"Let's be on our way, Lina-san," Xellos said. "I have other places to visit before I die." 

"Xellos, you can't be serious!" Lina said, walking beside him frantically. "Don't you have any antidotes for those poisons you make??" 

Xellos put a finger to his chin. "Well…for most of them we do…" he said. "That white cake you were eating, however, had one of our new poisons. We haven't made an antidote for it yet." 

Lina ran in front of him and stopped him from going on. "No antidote??" she said. "Then what are you going to do?? You can't just let yourself die!" 

"I thought this is what you wanted," Xellos said. He rested both of his hands on his staff. "If I die, you won't have to deal with me anymore." 

"Xellos, even though you're probably the worst person I've met, I have no intention of killing you myself," Lina said. She drew in a breath and collected herself before going on. "Besides, I only kill for defense, not for spite." 

"Oya (Oh, my), you have such nice principles," Xellos said. 

Lina stared at him for a few seconds incredulously. "What the hell is wrong with you??" she asked. "You're going to die!" 

"Maybe this is my punishment for all of my sins." Xellos dropped his staff and pressed his hands together in pray. "Perhaps I should be begging for forgiveness, ne?" 

"Why are you joking at a time like this??" Lina picked up his staff and smacked him a few times in the head. "We have to do something before you croak!!" 

"Ow! Lina-san, you really are worried about all this, aren't you?" Xellos said. He held his head carefully. 

"Of course!" Lina said. She shoved his staff into his ribs, forcing him to take it back. "If I hadn't tried to taste that cake you wouldn't have ended up with poison in your system." 

"I suppose that's true…" Xellos said, rubbing the back of his head. "But it's the poison that will kill me, not you." 

"I'm certain that you'll haunt me anyway," Lina muttered. "You're bad enough alive--I don't need your ghost making my life miserable." 

Xellos didn't mean to upset Lina by laughing loudly in her face, but he found her comment hilarious. "My ghost!" he chuckled. He was down on his knees laughing. "I'll admit, that does sound like fun!" 

"Didn't I tell you to stop joking around??" Lina said. She kept kicking him, despite people passing by giving her stares. 

"Okay, okay! I'll be serious!" Xellos stood up when Lina stopped kicking him. "If I could…send the poison back out the same way it came in…I'd try it, but unfortunately too much time has passed and I'm sure it's already gotten into my bloodstream. There's really nothing we can do." 

"You're kidding, right?" Lina said. She grabbed a handful of his shirt. "Can't you try to make an antidote before tomorrow??" 

"I could…" Xellos said, "but the person I hired to develop such things is out of town. I'd be dead before I could tell him to come back." 

"Sonna (No way)…" Lina said, letting him go. She dropped to her knees and held her head. "I know I wished for your death on several occasions, but I had hoped I'd have nothing to do with it." 

"You're such a kind person, Lina-san," Xellos said, smiling. "Well, since it is a little bit of your fault, how about you grant me a final wish?" 

"A final wish?" Lina said, looking up at him. A thought came to her and she grinned. "Hey, if you want to do something like write me into your will, I wouldn't mind." 

Xellos laughed. "No, it's nothing like that," he said. 

"What is it?" 

"How about we finish what we started in that carriage?" 

Lina was positive she had already knocked Xellos to the ground before she thought of a way to answer. "Not even if your life depended on it," she said. 

"I thought not…" Xellos mumbled, a little bit of dirt getting into his mouth as he talked. He got back on his feet, wiped his mouth and then helped Lina back to her feet. "It was worth a shot, but I suppose I ought to end this farce." 

"Farce?" Lina's eyebrow started twitching. "What do you mean by that?" 

"The truth is, I'm not going to die, at least not by that poison I ate," Xellos said. "I suppose I could still be stabbed on the street or something or run over by--" 

"What do you mean you're not going to die??" Lina said. "You said there was no antidote for that poison and it would kill you in one or two days!" 

Xellos nodded. "I didn't lie about that," he said. "For such a little amount, it would have surely taken about a day or two to kill you. However, over the years I've found it indispensable to be immune to most types of poisons. This may surprise you, but several people would benefit from my death. Of course, whenever my people make a new poison, I make myself immune to that as well to limit the number of toxins that could kill me. I think there's about three poisons that could still kill me, but certainly not any that are in my own bakery. It'd be a little silly to do that, wouldn't it? Someone might send me a cake from my own bakery and try to kill me." 

Lina fell onto her back as if losing all feeling in her body. "What a guy…" she muttered to herself. "He made himself immune to the poison… I should have guessed…" 

"Lina-san, you shouldn't lie on the ground," Xellos said, looking down at her with wonder. "It's terribly dirty down there." 

"Xellos." 

"Hai?" 

Lina smiled and folded her arms over her chest. "I take back what I said before." 

"About what?" 

"Killing." She sat up, arms still folded. "I'm going to make my first kill in spite." 

"Ha, ha, well, we really should be getting on our way," Xellos said, walking quickly away. He soon had to turn his walk into a full fledged run after Lina got up. The two of them didn't reach their next destination for quite a long time.   
  
********   
  


Zelgadis secured the fourth rolled up rug on his back and then tried seeing how well he could move. Lina had been treating him like a pack mule for several years, so he was used to carrying much heavier things on his back. He nodded to himself and then nodded to the elderly woman in front of him. 

"Sorry about all of this," Zelgadis said. "I hate to take advantage of you--" 

"What are you saying?" the woman said. She handed him a bag of food. "Our family will always be glad to help you. I'm just glad we were able to get the rugs you needed so quickly." 

"You guys are really something else," Zelgadis said, bowing his head in gratitude. He secured the bag of food at his waist. "I sent a message yesterday and I'm sure you couldn't have gotten it before the evening." 

"We were happy to work all night and most of today to have them ready for you when you arrived," the woman said. "It's shame that you have to leave as soon as you've gotten here." 

"Aa (Yeah), sorry about that," Zelgadis said. "This is the first time I've made it to Sharmin in one day. Usually it takes me about two or three days. Despite that I have to leave immediately." 

"Well, when you have more time to properly visit us, please do so," the old rug maker said. "My husband and children will be thrilled to see you again." 

"Thank you, I will," Zelgadis said. He turned to leave. "I'll have someone send the payment whenever I get it!" 

"Don't worry about it!" the woman called behind him. She waved to him as he left her property, although Zelgadis couldn't see her. 

"All right, got the rugs," Zelgadis said, walking down the grassy path toward the less secluded area of the city. "I'll have someone deliver these to Rezo while I go back to Hadin. He probably figured it would take me at least five days to get the rugs, so he shouldn't be expecting me to leave. I never said I'd stay in Sharmin anyway." 

When the grassy path Zelgadis was on finally ended and he went onto an actual road, he kept his eyes alert for the town's clock tower. He saw it in the distance in about five minutes after walking and was pleased it was about an hour until nightfall. If he continued at the pace he was going, he could make it to the nearby town within two hours, meet up with his friend to take the rugs, and then use a favor from another friend to get him back in Hadin by the next day. That was Zelgadis's simple plan, but he realized that when he got back to Hadin, Rezo would be sure to find out and try to make him leave again. Perhaps it was all the influence Lina had on him, but he didn't exactly have a plan for that part. Zelgadis had decided to do whatever he needed to do to keep Rezo off his back. 

Zelgadis turned onto another road, one of Sharmin's main roads that continued out of the city. What he was doing was risky in the first place, but he doubted that Rezo would go through with his threat even after he left Sharmin so quickly. Zelgadis was sure that since he had pretended to go along with Rezo's wishes, Rezo hadn't made preparations for any deviations to his plan. Zelgadis smirked and wished he could see the look on his uncle's face. 

His pleased expression would have stayed with him for a long time if he hadn't felt the need to suddenly stop. Zelgadis's eyes narrowed and he surveyed the area around him. It wasn't unusual that he was walking past abandoned houses and several narrow alleys; this particular Sharmin road had several of those along the way before it continued to the outskirts of the town. A stray cat scampered in front of him, turning his head back to the front. His eyes trailed it until it disappeared and then he smiled. Slowly he took down the four rugs from his back and laid them by his feet. He rotated his arms and then rested his hand calmly on the hilt of his sword. 

"There's not a point in hiding any more," Zelgadis said. 

It only took two minutes for Zelgadis to be surrounded on both sides by a group of about fifteen men. A few were holding some kind of weapon, but Zelgadis was sure that several others were hiding weapons themselves. He let out a breath thinking of the effort, but then he laughed. 

"Naru hodo (I see)," he said, shaking his head. "Rezo knew from the start I wasn't going to stay in Sharmin more than a day if even that. It has never been easy to fool my uncle." 

"Rezo-sama requests that you stay here for a while," one of the thugs in front said. "If you don't want any trouble, we suggest you turn around right now." 

"Hmph." Zelgadis shook his head. "He sent out his group of thugs to take care of me… How much is Xellos paying him anyhow?" 

"Oi (Hey), didn't you hear what he just said??" someone behind him asked. Zelgadis could hear a sword being unsheathed. "You're going to be killed if you don't turn around in three seconds!" 

Zelgadis whipped out his sword just as the first three people attacked him. "Anything for money, right, ojisan (uncle)?" he said. It only took him three movements of the sword to disable each one of them, but others soon replaced those that had went down. "Nothing less from Rezo…"   
  
********   
  


Xellos sighed. "Well, that's it," he said. "It took a day and a half, but I've almost done all of my duties." 

"Xellos, who do you exactly work for--the Devil?" Lina asked. She had to get that out before she expressed any kind of relief over his statement. The last place they had left was among those of her least favorite. Some of Xellos's businesses were unnecessarily crooked, while others were downright wrong. Wrong in every sense of the word. 

"What do you mean?" If Lina wasn't still so outraged she might have noticed that Xellos was acting as if Lina's question annoyed him. 

"Isn't it obvious??" Even when Lina had made him stop and she faced him closely, she still didn't notice the absence of Xellos's smile. "That orphanage of yours--it's nothing more than a child labor facility! What's worse, you con those children at one point to sign a contract stating that if they want to continue living at that orphanage, they have to agree to complete four years of servitude for you when they're of legal age to leave the place." 

"Oh, that," Xellos said. He smiled more lightly than he would have. 

"Yes, _that_," Lina said. Her frustration became a little greater when Xellos went on without saying anything else or indicating that she should follow him. The only thing that prevented Lina from being even more vexed than she was the fact he wasn't even going very fast or with an obvious destination. "Is that all you're going to say?" 

"What would you like me to say?" Xellos asked. His light smile became wide, sensing that Lina was losing her patience. 

"Is money truly the only thing you care about?" Lina asked. "I mean, I think money is really important, but you're making a lot of children miserable." 

"Their lives could be worse," Xellos said, shrugging. "I thought I was doing this town a favor, getting rid of the overflow of homeless children begging in the streets. Now, not only is there a place for those orphaned children to live, but they're also making toys for other children with parents to buy them for them. It seems like everyone wins to me." 

Lina put a hand on her forehead. "Sometimes I don't think there's any way I could get through to you," she said. "Would you like that situation if you were in it? Working as young as two years old to make toys you can never play with, but can only watch more privileged children own? You never get to have any kind of fun and the living conditions are just above those of a prison." 

"Hmm…I never thought of that," Xellos said, stopping again. He faced Lina with a thoughtful look. "I wish you had mentioned this when we were just there. I was only concentrating on how well production was going…" 

Lina raised a brow. "Did what I say really have an impact on you?" she asked. "Has something finally reached you?" 

"Mochiron (Of course)," Xellos said. He pounded a fist on his hand. "I'd save much more money if I decreased the orphanage's living conditions to a prison-like state. If they were given cheaper food and only two meals a day, that would make so much of a difference. Plus, why should they need beds? Mats cost much less." 

"Na…(Wha)…" Lina stood agape until she could think of something to say. "Xellos! That wasn't what I meant at all!" 

Even though Lina kept throwing insults at him about how insane he was, Xellos simply took all her comments with laughter. It didn't help Lina settle down, and he eventually had to stop laughing to avoid being knocked to the ground. Xellos calmed her down by stating they were going someplace where they could eat really good food, and Lina practically forget that orphanages existed. Her speech, of course, then began to be full of questions of what they would be eating and how soon they would get there. 

"…I'm positive," Xellos said, answering the last of Lina's questions. 

Lina put a little more distance between the two of them walking side-by-side. "Why are you smiling at me like that?" she said. "If you're thinking of other things instead of getting me something to eat then--" 

"No, I'm just glad that you've put me in a better mood," Xellos said. "The next place we're going to may not be that pleasant. It might be painless since you're here and that person isn't but…regardless it's a bit annoying to be here in the first place." 

"So why didn't you send someone else to check up on things?" Lina asked. She was curious about the person he had mentioned, but she could wait on that question. 

"I couldn't," Xellos said. He smiled regretfully. "I was told to attend this meeting as well as check up on things since I was in town. I wouldn't dare send someone else." 

"Just as I thought," Lina said. "You're working for some other affluent person, aren't you?" 

"Saa (Who knows)?" Xellos said, grinning. 

_He's not going to say anymore about that,_ Lina thought. _I already know he's working for some woman. I'll just have to wait later to find out her true identity._

"So, this next place we're going to is?" Lina asked. 

"A colleague of mine's mansion," Xellos said. "Several of the most wealthiest and powerful people in the world will be gathered here to discuss future ventures we might engage in. However, some find themselves too important to come in person and they send a messenger in place of them." 

"Which you would have liked to have done." 

"Iie." Xellos made an expression that made it hard to tell if he were smiling to make little of the situation or smiling to cover his irritation. "That's what _I'm_ doing." 

"Uh, Xellos?" 

Xellos smiled more like himself. "Hai?" 

"Never mind." Lina shook her head. "I have a feeling it's going to become much weirder from here on." 

"You're probably right, Lina-san."   
  
********   
  


Lina didn't know why she was currently more hungry than she had been on their first full day in whatever town they were (Lina still didn't know, regardless that it was their second day there), but it seemed after having spent almost two days with Xellos's nonsense and exhausting herself trying to make him see the error of his ways made her more hungry than usual. That was Lina's reasoning anyhow for practically stuffing anything that looked like food into her mouth. She had a full plate of things already, but she kept hovering around the long table of refreshments and eating whatever she couldn't fit onto her plate. Eventually others who tried to get food at the same time were discouraged by the aggressive manner Lina was eating in two ways: either by becoming disgusted by her lack of manners or by physically being pushed out of Lina's way when she went up to a particular dish. Not that Lina really noticed any of this; her main concern was the excellent taste of the food and her gradual decrease in hunger (just at her own unusually slow pace). 

"Who in the world is that??" a man asked. He had been waiting with his empty plate for about fifteen minutes now. "She's like some kind of incredible eating machine!" 

Xellos drank calmly from his glass and nodded. "I know, she's amazing, isn't she?" he said. 

"Amazing, you saying??" the man said, searching Xellos's face for a glimpse of sarcasm. Although the purple-haired man was smiling, it seemed to be from watching Lina eating as she was, not an indication that he was joking. "Metallium-san, I don't see anything amusing about the savage way that woman is eating!" 

"I probably should have given her more opportunities to eat," Xellos murmured to himself. "She does get cranky when she's really hungry." 

"What was that you said?" 

"Iie, betsu ni (No, nothing)," Xellos said. He walked past the man in the direction of Lina. "I better retrieve her now, I suppose." 

Lina swallowed whatever was left in her mouth and turned to proceed down the table. She nearly dropped her plate as she bumped into Xellos. Had she not been more concerned with the food that had almost been ruined, she might have taken the time to wonder how Xellos suddenly appeared there. 

"That was close," Lina said. She let out a breath of relief. "Why are you popping out of nowhere like that?" 

Xellos motioned to one of the many tables set up along the huge yard. "I'm sorry to interrupt your feasting, but it's best if we sat down," he said. 

Lina quickly put whatever was within her reach into her mouth before following him. "Aren't you going to eat anything?" she said. It didn't matter to her that it was nearly impossible to speak clearly with so little room in her mouth. 

"Iie, I'm fine," Xellos said. He gestured to several people as a greeting before sitting down with Lina. "Besides, what if this food is poisoned?" 

Lina continued chewing, but narrowed her eyes at him. "As if poison is really dangerous to you," she said. She swallowed and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. "So what's the deal with all of this? Doesn't look much like a meeting to me. Looks more like a bunch of people eating together outside." 

"Well, it'd be rude to gather so many people to one's house and not have some food and drink, deshou (right)?" 

"Right…" Lina watched Xellos pour himself another glass from the bottle on the table. "Basically, if it looks like some kind of party, no one can say it's just a meeting of rich people scheming up new ways to get even richer." 

Xellos smirked and set his glass down. "As always, you're extremely sharp, Lina-san," he said. "I have to talk some business with three people and then we can head back to Hadin. However, I haven't seen two of them yet. Looks like we'll have to hang around for a little while." 

Lina started tearing some kind of meat from a bone. "Why do I get the feeling you really don't want to be here?" she asked. The bone was clean a few seconds after she finished her first sentence. "Now that I think about it, you seemed annoyed when we first let your orphanage." 

"Hmm," Xellos said. He ran his finger along the edge of his glass. Lina appeared to ignore him while she ate, seemingly without even bothering to breathe, but he didn't bother to encourage her to speak again. He knew that she would pause at some point and add more. 

"Don't tell me someone as inhuman as you can actually inexperience irritation," Lina said. She laid her utensil down so for the first time since she had sat down. 

"Lina-san, you might want to drink something since you're eating so much." He motioned to the bottle of wine in the middle of the table. "I have to say, it's very good." 

"Don't try to change the subject, Xellos." She folded her arms across her chest. "Anyway, I'm determined to never drink around you again. I seem to lose consciousness within a few minutes." 

Xellos shrugged. "Perhaps, you're not a very good drinker." 

"Cut the crap! I win drinking contests all the time. Now stop trying to change the subject!" 

"What was the subject?" Lina slammed her fists on the table and he gave a relenting gesture. "All right, I don't want you to make a scene while we're here. Not until I finish my business, anyway." 

"Is it that much of a pain to be here?" Lina asked. "I didn't think anything could get to you." 

Xellos linked his hands together and rested his head upon it. "I'm not some kind of emotionless monster," he said. "For example, I was very upset that Zelgadis kept aiding in your escape… I shouldn't say 'was,' actually--I should say that I still am." 

"Yes, it shows…" Lina said, recalling all of the evidence to support that. "It doesn't show up in your face or speech, but your actions speak very loudly." 

"Oh, do they?" Xellos waved to someone that Lina couldn't see before he looked back at her. 

"If I didn't know any better, I'd think you really don't like Zel at all." 

Xellos was quiet for a minute as if he couldn't think of a way to respond. "…Is that bad?" 

"Oh? Are you planning to be honest from here on?" Lina said. When he smiled, she smirked. "Well, since you're on this honest streak, let's hear why you don't want to be here." 

"Oh…no real reason," Xellos said. He drank a little from his glass. "You might think I'm being boastful, but I just think my status is too high to have to deal with trivial matters like this. Most people here are low-status messengers, like I mentioned before. I hardly know who some of them are." 

"So you're saying you're a high-status messenger?" Lina asked. "Whose messenger are you? Before I started spending so much time with you, I had always thought you were the one calling most the shots." 

"I won't reveal my employer, but I will say that being the messenger is often one of my less pleasant jobs. However, I like what I do very much, even if I don't have complete freedom about the things I do, but I am one of the richest people around, which is more than most people who have a boss can say." 

Lina let out a sigh. "Money again?" She started eating again as if becoming bored. 

"Is wanting money bad?" Xellos asked. He tilted his head on his fingers. "I'm positive if you could have the chance to have the wealth I do, you'd take it." 

"Of course!" Lina said, spitting a little food as she spoke. "But I wouldn't use the sneaky ways that you do!" 

Xellos picked up a cloth from the table and wiped his face. "That's how you make the big money, Lina-san," he said. "Unless you happen to be a first-rate treasure hunter." 

Lina nodded as she swallowed. "Yes, that describes me perfectly," she said. She glared at Xellos when he laughed. "What's so funny?" 

"I don't mean to be rude, but if you were really that good, you could have easily paid me back within a year," Xellos said. "I do believe you are suited for such an occupation, but I don't believe that you are the best at it. You're an amazing person, but you're not very…very…" 

Lina smiled and picked up her fork. "Xellos, I'm not sure how you're going to end that sentence, but I suggest you don't," she warned. She looked as though she were going to crush the utensil. "Otherwise…" 

"Wakarimashita (I understand)," Xellos said, acting as though he were nervous. "Anyway, Lina-san, my point is that you should consider changing your principles. If you do that, you might get into the big money." 

"I'm fine," Lina said, waving her hand. "I don't need any financial tips from a crooked person like you. You sell poison cakes and treat orphaned children like slaves." 

Xellos covered his mouth to muffle his chuckles, but Lina berated him anyhow. "I'm sorry, it just sounds so funny when you say it," he said. He dropped his hand from his mouth and let out a breath. "You know, I suppose I don't really mind having to stay here for a while. After all, that person isn't here and you are. I'm having a lot of fun." 

"That person?" Lina said. She blinked and raised a finger. "Oh, yeah, Xellos, who--" 

"Metallium-san?" 

Xellos and Lina both turned to see a man standing beside their table. He seemed to be one of those messengers Xellos had been describing since he seemed a little intimidated by the millionaire's presence. Lina also assumed that since his dress was like that of a servant. 

"Hai?" Xellos said. "You're representing Kane-san, if I remember correctly?" 

"Ee (Yes)," the servant said. He bowed respectfully. "I don't mean to interrupt you since my boss has no business to conduct with you, but there was a woman inquiring about whether you would be attending this gathering." 

"A woman?" Xellos lifted his head from his hands and scratched his head. "That's a bit vague…" 

"The master of this mansion was showing off his collection of vases," the servant went on, "and she was trying to convince him to sell some of them to her. I left before she had stopped doing so, but she asked if I had seen you. I hadn't at the time, but I told her that if I happened to see you that I would inform you that she was looking for you." 

"Vases?" 

Lina raised a brow. _What's with Xellos's face?_ she thought. _He almost looks like he ate spoiled food or something._

"This woman's name was?" Xellos said. His smile seemed as though it were going to break any second. 

"Eto (Um)…" the man said, "she didn't give her name, but she was blonde and--" 

"Shitsurei (Excuse me)," Xellos said. He stood up and took Lina by the hand. "We have to attend to some pressing matters." 

"Ha…Hai…" The man said, whipping his head around as the two of them quickly left. 

"Hey, Xellos!" Lina said, being dragged behind one of the many tall bushes in the area. She really lost her temper when Xellos forced her head down and shushed her. "What the hell are we doing??" 

"Shh!" Xellos said. He peeped his head through a tiny hole in the bush. "This is exactly what I wanted to avoid…" 

"What are you talking about??" Lina said in a voice that was just above a whisper. "And why the hell are we sitting here on the ground?? I haven't even finished my food yet!" 

Xellos sighed and appeared to be frowning (or at least on the verge of doing so). "If only I didn't have to set up some deals…" he muttered. 

Lina grabbed a handful of his shirt. "Xellos! Make sense!" 

"What should I do?" Xellos said. He put a hand to his chin as if he didn't notice Lina was there. 

"That's it!" Lina said. She released Xellos and started to stand up. "I'm going back to our table!" 

"Lina-san, please wait!" Xellos said, grabbing her hand. Lina pulled him into a standing position as she continued to walk away. "Lina-san!" 

"Just as I thought," Lina said, struggling to walk, which was dragging Xellos away from the bush, "things are…getting…much…much…weirder!" 

Xellos nearly fell on his face as Lina jerked him forward. "Lina-san, if you'll just please…" 

Lina was about to refuse to listen to him again, but he quickly pulled them behind the bush again. "Xellos what the--" His hand covered her mouth. 

"Please, don't say anything, Lina-san," Xellos whispered. "She just walked past here." 

"Who??" Lina said. She realized it was futile to talk with Xellos's hand over her mouth and she elbowed him in his stomach. "Who??" 

Xellos held his stomach with one arm and kept Lina behind the bush with the other. "Would you believe there was someone determined to marry me?" he said. 

"Ee (Huh)?" Lina said. She stopped struggling with him and sat back down with him on the ground. "What was in that glass you were drinking from?" 

"Please be serious, Lina-san," Xellos said. He smiled weakly when she gave him a look like he was crazy. "I'm not kidding. For about three years, that woman's been hounding me to marry her." 

"Xellos, no woman would be that desperate," Lina said. However, she was ambivalent about believing him. On one hand, Lina couldn't believe someone would want to be Xellos's wife; on the other hand, Lina didn't think Xellos would seem so stressed out if he was lying. Then again, Lina wasn't sure why Xellos found the proposition of the woman marrying him so terrible. When she pictured some woman suggesting the idea to Xellos, she couldn't see him rejecting the offer nor expressing disgust. That wasn't like Xellos and his current behavior certainly wasn't like Xellos either. 

"Well, this woman is," Xellos said. "I told her from the beginning that I had no interest, but she's ridiculously persistent. It irritates me." 

"I don't understand," Lina said. "Why does that bother you so much? You're the type that is flattered by insults. Shouldn't the fact that a woman wants to marry you be a good thing?" 

"Iie." Xellos's voice grew softer as if he was worried someone would hear him. "Not _her_. She's the type that makes me regret each second I have to spend with her." 

Lina smirked. "She sounds interesting," she said. "Let's meet her." 

"If at all possible, I'd rather not," Xellos said. His smile was so fake, Lina couldn't help but laugh at it. "I shouldn't be surprised that you're laughing at me." 

"Xellos, you can't avoid this woman if you want to complete those deals you were talking about," Lina said, snickering. "Naru hodo (I see)…this is why you've been so reluctant to come here. You were afraid you might see her again." 

"Afraid, no," Xellos said. "Simply displeased if I did." 

Lina rubbed her hands together and acted as though she were filled with glee. "Payback!" she said. "Finally, it's your turn to be frustrated! I've been waiting for this day!" 

"Your sympathy towards my situation is astounding, Lina-san," Xellos said. He was smiling more like usual, but the discomfort was still there. "However, you are right that I can't avoid her without failing to do my duties. I always do the work I've been assigned, regardless of what it is. I'm not about to start slacking off now." 

Lina punched him lightly in the arm. "Let's go!" she said, cheerfully. "Maybe this time she can convince you to marry her." 

"Please don't tease me, Lina-san," Xellos said. He put his hand to his chin. "If only I could see her and discourage her from bothering me with this marriage business." 

"Dame da (It's no use), Xellos," Lina teased. "If she wants to marry you with full knowledge of the type of person you are, then there's nothing you could say to discourage her. As long as you are available, you can't avoid it." 

"Ee (Yes), as long as I'm available…" Xellos said. He was silent for a minute while Lina kept provoking him to hurry up and meet her. Her ridiculing stopped when he snapped his fingers. "I've got it!" 

"Got what?" Lina said. She sweat-dropped when he turned to her with the typical "I'm-up-to-something" smile. "Whatever you're planning--" 

"Lina-san, please pretend to be my fiancée," Xellos said. 

Lina regarded him incredulously. "What??" she said. 

"If she thinks you're my fiancée, she'll definitely leave me in peace while I take care of my business," Xellos said. He scooted closer to Lina when she started inching away as if repulsed. "Come on, Lina-san, it's a wonderful plan." 

"Absolutely not!" Lina said. She stood and dusted off her pants. "You think I'd do something like that??" 

"Why not?" Xellos said, standing with her. "Even if she doesn't believe me, as long as I stick to my lie, I can avoid wasting time with her." 

"No way." Lina turned her back to him. "Anyway, I wouldn't pass up this opportunity to see you act like a real human being. I plan to make you suffer just like I have." 

"Sou desu ka (Is that right)?" Xellos said. He moved so that he was standing in front of her, meeting her smirk with his own. "Well, then what if I say that if you don't grant me this favor, I'll have to ask you to finally give me my reward for winning our little card game?" 

Lina's smirk wavered. "As if…I'd let you…" she said. "I thought you learned your lesson not to mess with me like that." 

"Lina-san, the only reason I haven't collected my prize is because I haven't had the luxury since I've arrived here," Xellos said. He took a few steps toward her and opened his eyes. "It has nothing to do with any kind of thoughts that I couldn't collect it. You know, I can be quite forceful when I set my mind on getting something…" 

_Damnit!_ Lina thought, grabbing her knees to stop them from shaking. _I want to tell him that he can just try it, but I get this terrible feeling whenever I think of challenging him to do so. I know that Xellos has a reputation of getting whatever he wants. That's evident by the way he's managed to keep me in his grasp._

"Maa (Well), it's a win-win situation for me," Xellos said. "If you agree to help me out, I'll forget that you failed to hold up your end of the bargain and I'll even treat you to a very nice meal before we leave here. I believe there's a place that caters dragon cuisine." 

"Dragon cuisine?" Lina's anxiety instantly evaporated. "You're not lying are you?? Dragon cuisine??" 

Xellos eyes closed again and he smiled neutrally. "Ee (Yes)," Xellos said, nodding. "I'll let you eat as much as you want." 

"Hontou ni (Really)??" Lina said. She grasped his arm. "Xellos, that's so nice of you!" 

"Does this mean, you'll do it?" 

Lina nodded obediently. "Sure, sure," she said. "I'm sure I can pay you back another time…but dragon cuisine is something I can't possible pass that up!" 

"Great," Xellos said. He rubbed the back of his head. "I really appreciate your cooperation." 

"Whatever," Lina said. She let him go and frowned. "You should have said that from the beginning instead of threatening me." 

"Threatening?" Xellos repeated. "What I said threatened you? Ah, sou ka (I see)--something like that terrifies you." 

"Who's terrified??" Lina said, face instantly red. "I'm just disgusted! I don't want to be any closer to man like you than I already am!" 

"Well, until we leave this place, I suggest you act like I'm the man of your dreams," Xellos said. Lina didn't think his smile could be any sillier. 

"Don't you think that would be laying it on too thick?" Lina muttered. "If I acted like that, who the hell would believe your story? You're not exactly a desirable bachelor." 

Xellos patted her cheek. "Please do your best, Lina-chan," he said. 

Lina grabbed his hand and held it with a crushing force. "Call me that again and I will kill you," she said. 

"Demo (But) don't you think it will be more convincing this way?" 

"If you don't want me to blow it for you, you'll avoid calling me that." She twisted his hand in an abnormal angle. 

"Ow! I get you, Lina-san! Lina-san!" 

"Good." She released his hand and sighed. "Let's get this over with. I want to finish eating." 

"Whatever you say." Xellos gave Lina his largest smile, which was like a wall to her suspicious stare. Lina was a little disappointed, when left their hiding spot, that Xellos seemed pretty confident with his plan. It had been fun to see him hopeless and nervous for a change. For a second Lina debated double-crossing Xellos. She really hated the almost carefree stride he was taking and she hoped that in the end, the woman would catch onto to their little plan and Lina would still end up getting the fancy food she wanted. Lina's mouth watered just thinking of eating some of the tastiest food in the world. Regardless if Lina warned Xellos she'd kill him if he didn't make good on his promise, Xellos was the one calling all of the shots. If he chose to simply leave the area without even going near the alleged restaurant, there was nothing Lina could do. She didn't know its location, nor if it even existed. Reasoning like that probably would have caused Lina to put more insurance in the deal, but she was less hesitant to take Xellos's word for it since he had given her the flipside of the deal. Lina shuddered and shook her head. It was comforting to think about her doing it simply to eat some good food. 

"Ah, there she is," Xellos said. They stopped at a table where a blonde was sipping tea by herself. "Well, if it isn't Filia ul Copt. It's been a long time." 

"Xellos," Filia said, smiling. She set her cup down. "So you've finally decided to stop hiding?" 

"Hiding? Whatever do you mean?" 

Lina had no intention of including herself in the conversation, nor introducing herself. The sooner she did, the longer she could have to pretend to like Xellos enough to have agreed to marry him. Anyway, even though Lina had thought Xellos was back to his old self, she could detect a slight hint of irritation in his voice. 

Filia shook a finger at him. "Come on Xellos," she said. "It's pointless to avoid me like this. Regardless of what reasons I have for wanting to marry you, you might as well just accept that no one else would dare even think of the idea. At least you'll have the reputation of having a charitable and lovely wife when we get married." 

Lina blinked at Filia's laughter and then at the telltale sign that her comment had upset Xellos. It sounded like something Lina might have said to him (minus the conceited part at the end), yet Xellos looked as though he might lose his smile any second. Lina had always thought Xellos was impervious to all insults. 

"Well, I'm afraid I'm going to have to say that you're completely wrong," Xellos said. His placed his arm over Lina's shoulders. "I happen to be engaged to this lovely woman here now." 

"Engaged??" Filia repeated. It seemed as though she had just first noticed that Lina existed. "This woman?" 

_I hate this already…_ Lina thought, pretending that Xellos wasn't touching her. 

Filia rose from her seat, staring at Lina as if inspecting her. "I thought she was one of your servants or something," she said. 

"Servant??" Lina repeated. Her fist began to shake. 

Xellos laughed in hopes to calm Lina down. "That's a pretty rude thing to say to my fiancée," he said. 

"What kind of trick are you trying to pull?" Filia said. She smiled knowingly. "How much did you pay this woman to play your fiancée?" 

"Yare, yare (My, my), a 'kind' person such as yourself is awfully rude," Xellos said. "According to my sources, you weren't going to attend this meeting. I'm certain that you were intending to send someone in your place." 

"Well, I changed my mind," Filia said, waving her hand. "Anyway, I wanted to see if I could do anything to help this poor little town. Your evil influence here has been tearing this place apart for years." 

"And what exactly could _you_ do?" Xellos said. Lina was positive at that moment he had a sneer in his tone. "I recall that one of the most desolate cities around was put that way by your oh-so-wonderful influence. I'm not so cruel that I would let this town turn into a place most fear to tread." 

"That wasn't my fault!" Filia protested. "There were circumstances that I couldn't prevent that led that to happen!" 

Xellos shook his head. "How did a useless person like you get into the high position you're in?" he said. "You're not qualified to even be something like a shrine maiden or something like that." 

_Xellos is being outright rude,_ Lina thought, huge sweat-drop on the side of her head. Xellos's laughter at that time was incredibly spiteful, instead the usual "all-in-good-fun" manner it usually was. _I don't ever think I've heard him speak so honestly…_

"…such a thing!" Filia said, finishing her loud rebuttals. She growled softly when Xellos simply continued to laugh. "Anyway, I'm not going to believe this woman is your fiancée! This sounds exactly like one of your tricks!" 

"I assure you we're very committed to each other, right, sweetie?" Xellos said, smiling at Lina. 

"Of course, darling," Lina said, smiling back at him as if she were going to kill him. 

Filia narrowed her eyes at the two of them. "Why don't you two take a seat?" she said. 

"Actually--" 

"We'd love to," Xellos said, pulling out a chair for Lina. "Douzo (Go ahead)." 

"Oi, Xellos!" Lina hissed, drawing in close to him. "What about my food??" 

"I'll send someone to bring you some more, don't worry about it," Xellos whispered back. 

Lina couldn't help but look angry when she sat down and had Xellos push her up to the table. Xellos sat between her and the empty seat beside Filia. Filia offered Lina some tea but Lina politely declined. Xellos was all too happy to take some, making Lina wondering if he was just trying to be polite. He had appeared to have been enjoying wine before much more. 

"I'm sorry, I haven't gotten your name, Miss…?" Filia said. 

"Li--" 

"Li Li," Xellos interrupted. "It's a pretty name, isn't it?" 

Lina leaned near Xellos and talked from the side of her mouth. "Li Li??" she said. 

"Many people know that Lina Inverse is staying with me," Xellos said, covering his mouth his hand. "If you tell her who you really are, then she might figure out in advance that it's not real." 

"Is there something wrong?" Filia asked, looking between them. 

"Iie," Xellos said. "She was just asking me not to tease her about her name. She's not very fond of it, but I truly like it." 

"I see…" Filia said. She obviously had noticed the forced smile on Lina's face. "Well, then Li Li-san, could you possibly tell what reason you could have for wanting to marry this…this…mistake of mankind?" 

"Mi…stake?" 

Lina's sweat-drop returned. _He looks like he's going to bust a vessel in his forehead, yet he's still trying to smile…_

"It's the money, isn't?" Filia said. She lifted up her cup to her lips and quietly sipped her tea. 

"Believe me," Lina said, smiling and nodding, "there isn't enough money in the world to convince me to marry him." Xellos cleared his throat and laughed, indicating she wasn't saying something very convincing. "What I mean is that money had nothing to do with my decision to…marry him…" 

"Then what is it?" Filia asked. She snorted. "It can't be anything like Xellos's 'winning' personality. This man doesn't have a scrap of personality." 

"Hmm…" Lina said, scratching her head. She tried to ignore Xellos's strange expression. She had never thought someone could appear to be smiling and frowning at the same time. "It's hard to put my finger on it…" 

"I'm sure Li Li-chan is much too embarrassed to tell a complete stranger the reasons why she is in love," Xellos said. He placed his hand over Lina's resting on the table. "Right?" 

"Yes…" Lina said. She gave her sweetest and phoniest smile and laid her other hand on top of Xellos's, digging her fingers into his skin. "This is all too embarrassing." 

"Xellos, are you all right?" Filia said. "You look like you're sitting on a tack or something." 

"I'm fine…" Xellos said. He yanked his hand from between Lina's and massaged it. "Well, Filia-san, I'd wish you would stop giving my fiancée the third degree. You can ask us questions all day, but you can't prove that the two of us aren't engaged." 

"Oh, really?" Filia said. She crossed her arms over her chest. "Okay, so where is Li Li-san's ring?" 

Lina looked down at her hand and held back a smile. _Hehe, I hope Filia can trap Xellos in his own lies,_ she thought. _As long as she's the one to expose this farce, I can still get to eat my dragon cuisine and watch Xellos suffer!_

"Some of us aren't as materialistic as you are," Xellos said. He leaned back in his seat, unconcerned with the inquisitive stares from both women. "I offered Li Li-chan an exquisite ring, but she refused to take it. She's such a humble soul she thought it would be prideful of her to show off such an expensive item on her finger. I tried very hard to change her mind, but you just can't manipulate my Li Li-chan." 

Lina turned her head away from Filia and Xellos so that they wouldn't see the strange look on her face. _Once again, Xellos defends his title as the King of Liars,_ she thought. _What kind of story was that?? Who'd believe that??_

"Even if that story was true," Filia said, most likely having the same thoughts as Lina, "why would an upright woman like that want to marry trash like you?" 

"…Trash…you say?" Xellos said. He laughed as if it were a joke. 

_He's kinda scary when he's like that,_ Lina thought, trying to scoot her chair away from him. _That laughter is completely forced…_

"Li Li-san, I don't know you well enough to judge your character," Filia said smugly, "but I know Xellos's character well enough to confidently say that such a humble person would never fall for the scum of the earth." 

"Let's not forget that you are willing to marry this 'scum' you speak of, Filia-san," Xellos said. He grasped the edge of the table, causing his hands to shake (although Lina thought they were shaking before he even did that). "The point you seem to be getting at is that only another scumbag would marry someone like me. That must mean that you are a person similar to myself, if not worse than myself." 

_Good point, Xellos,_ Lina thought. It seemed to be Filia's turn to express resentment. _Why the hell is this woman so bent on marrying Xellos?_

Lina could practically see Filia getting on her high horse; it was certainly easy to imagine her preaching to people fighting for some kind of good cause. "My reason for wanting to marry you has nothing do with any affection toward you," she said. "You and I both know that I decided a while ago that the only way to end your reign of terror in the world is by marrying you. It was the only way I could think of to gain authority in your crooked businesses and to have the power to change them into humanitarian, respectable places that benefit mankind instead of feeding off their misfortune." 

"So what you're saying is that Xellos's negative influence in the world bothers you so much, you'd go that far to put a stop to him?" Lina said. She didn't know whether to be stunned by Filia's self-righteousness or her willingness to bare such a horrible fate by being Xellos's wife. 

"Of course," Filia said. She clasped her hands together. "I'm sure even if you killed Xellos, it would do no good. When I think that someone like Xellos might become any more powerful… I shudder to think what chaos he might cause! He's like a walking disease! How could I sleep at night thinking I did nothing to try and cure this man's infection on the world?" 

"Man, once she gets going…" Lina muttered. 

"You see what I mean?" Xellos said from the corner of his mouth. He looked as though he were about to say something to Filia, but was distracted by something behind her. "Oya (Oh)." 

"Doushita no(What's wrong)?" Lina asked. 

Xellos rose from his seat and bowed his head in apology. "Sorry, I see someone I must speak to…" he said. 

"Oh, what a shame," Lina said, noticing how pleased he seemed to be to have an excuse to leave. "I'm certain that you wanted to say something." 

"Li Li-chan, please wait here for me until I get back," Xellos said. "I won't be long. That's fine with you, Filia-san?" 

"I insist," Filia said, smiling. "There's still much I'd like to discuss with your alleged fiancée." 

Xellos nodded and then brought his mouth next to Lina's ear. "Please, behave Lina-san." Lina smiled at that moment, but he couldn't see it. "Otherwise, I might not behave myself later on…" 

Lina sweat-dropped. "Leave everything to me," she said. _Well, it might be a little easier without Xellos saying stupid things about me,_ she thought. 

"I knew I could count on you." 

Lina stiffened for a split second as Xellos kissed her on the cheek; the next half second, her hand unconsciously swept across his face. Lina didn't even realize she had slapped him until he had murmured something about the pain and Filia gave her a suspicious look. Her face was already red from Xellos kissing her, but noticing that she was blowing her cover made her sweat as well. Her nervous laughter wasn't helping, but it was the only thing she could think of doing to cover her mistake. 

"Yada (Oh, no), Xellos!" Lina said in her most convincing voice. "You know it embarrasses me when you kiss me in public!" She tried her best to turn her additional laughter into something that sounded like a modest girl's giggling. 

Xellos rubbed his cheek. "You really must learn to express our love more often in public, Li Li-chan," he said. He took Lina's hidden glare as a signal he should get going already. "Well, if you'll excuse me." 

When Filia and Lina met eyes after Xellos left, Lina felt slightly unsettled without Xellos with her. After all, he was the one doing all the fabricating and now she was the one left to continue their little story. Lina didn't doubt she could think of some kind of lie to answer whatever questions Filia might ask of her, but she wasn't sure how believable those lies would be. Her reasons for going along with Xellos's plan didn't motivate her lying skills (which were good, but no where as good as Xellos's) very much. 

"Now then, Li Li-san," Filia said. She laid her hands in her lap. "Why don't you be honest with me now that Xellos is gone? What is exactly going on? Are you a person Xellos hired on the way here or do you have some kind of insane reason for wanting to marry him?" 

_As if your reason is really sensible…_ Lina thought. She sighed and within a few seconds came up with a suitable story. "I shouldn't really have to explain myself, but the truth is I fell for Xellos when he saved my life," she said. 

"Saved your life?" Filia had said the words as if they couldn't possibly make sense together. 

"Yes…" Lina couldn't help but be reminded of her travels in the Houshu Forest. "An adventurous friend of mine went into a tribal village, but he never came out. I was worried, so I went after him. However, that soon led me to become the target of their sacrifice ceremony. Xellos happened to be in the area and he stopped those savages from burning me to death." 

Filia leaned forward a little. "Really? Xellos saved you from that?" 

"Unfortunately, yes," Lina said. She quickly smiled to cover up the bitter tone of her comment. "What I mean is that it was unfortunate that I had to be in that dangerous situation. Anyway, I…really saw Xellos for the type of person he was that day and I'll never be able to repay him for his conniving--I mean, his kindly act." 

"I see…" Filia said. She seemed to be thinking as she was drinking her tea. "Hmm…" 

"I wouldn't blame you if you found it hard to swallow," Lina said. "I often find it hard to believe what kind of person Xellos really is…behind the nice mask he paints for others." 

"Exactly!" Filia said. She practically slammed her teacup back on the saucer. "For instance, Xellos wouldn't have possibly saved you unless it benefited him in some way. Furthermore, he wouldn't have even been in the area if he wasn't up to no good. Why was he even there?" 

"Well, um, you see…" Lina said. Her eyes turned to the sky as she thought. "Xellos…happened to be doing some kind of business in the nearby town. Before I went into the village to help my friend, I had been asking those townspeople whether or not they had seen him. According to Xellos, he had overheard me talking about going into the forest myself and decided to follow me. I'm very lucky that he did since I wouldn't have the privilege of telling you this story right now if he hadn't." 

Lina only felt a little nervous as Filia gave her a hard stare. It was easier to tell a story that was partially true than to make up a complete lie; Lina didn't worry that she might suddenly change her story without realizing it. The only problem she would have would be convincing Filia that she cared for Xellos. She could tell stories about him all day long, but Lina was sure that Filia wouldn't believe Xellos was the man of her dreams without some more concrete proof. 

"And that one act of kindness makes you overlook all the other horrible things he's involved in?" Filia asked. 

"I'm not going to say I like what Xellos does," Lina said, "but I accept who he is and I have no intention of changing him. Besides…he accepts me for who I am…and he's always treated me well." 

"Listen, Li Li-san," Filia said. She didn't notice how her deadly serious tone was making Lina uncomfortable. "Xellos _has_ to be up to something! There is no way that he would save you and treat you so nicely unless he has some kind of twisted plan up his sleeve! I'm not sure what he would gain if he married you, but there must be something! I know there is something!" 

_And here I thought no one could be more suspicious of Xellos than me…_ Lina thought. She rubbed her temples. _What in the world am I suppose to say in response to that?_

"Trust me, if you marry Xellos, something terrible will happen to you. Do you come from any money?" 

Lina shook her head. "I'm pretty poor…" 

"Own any property?" 

"No." 

"Have anything that Xellos might want to steal??" 

"Not that I know of…" Lina said. She shrugged and offered a smile to settle Filia's rising frustration. "To my knowledge, the only thing Xellos wants…is me…" 

Filia put her hand on her forehead and fell limp against her chair. "I give up," she sighed. "It doesn't make any sense, but I can't think of why Xellos wants to marry someone who couldn't give him anything." 

_As if I'm not enough,_ Lina thought ruefully. She frowned and started looking around for Xellos. He was nowhere to be found and Lina was sure he was in no hurry to return. Lina let out a sigh herself, returning her gaze to the worn out Filia. She didn't appear as though she were going to say anything soon, so Lina allowed herself to relax for a few seconds. In doing so, Lina noticed that she was still hungry and had yet to get the rest of the food she had left at their table. She turned her head back and noticed that the buffet table near the doors leading back into the mansion were being cleared. For a second she was alarmed, immediately silently cursing Xellos, until she saw that several servants were replacing the trays with various desserts. It reminded Lina all too much of being in Xellos's bakery the day before (without the fear of whether or not they were poisoned). 

Filia sat up properly as Lina half-rose. "Where are you going, Li Li-san?" she said. 

"Sorry, I have to get some of these desserts they're putting out," Lina said, pointing to the table. "Um…did you want me to get something for you?" 

"Iie, I'm fine," Filia said. She had really thought nothing of Lina's leaving to retrieve some desserts until Lina had returned about ten minutes later. She hadn't used one of the smaller dessert plates and in addition looked as though the dinner plate she had used wasn't enough room for the sweets she had acquired. Filia hesitated informing Lina that when she sat down she had crumbs dotted around her mouth. 

Lina bit into another pastry that had some kind of fruit filling. "Oh, man, this great!" she said, stuffing what she thought to be a cream puff into mouth. "As I thought, rich people always have the best sweets!" 

"You…really like your desserts, don't you?" Filia asked. She cringed at how carelessly and quickly Lina devoured things in front of her. 

"Hell, this is like a vacation after spending so much time with Xellos," Lina said, paying more attention to what her fingers were going to grab next. 

"Excuse me?" Filia said. She had heard Lina clearly, but put a hand to her ear to make sure that her ears weren't broken. 

"Yeah, Xellos has been--" Lina stopped and started choking on the food in her mouth. _Shimatta (Crap)!_ she thought as she kept coughing. _What the hell am I saying??_

"Drink some tea!" Filia said, handing her a cup. 

Lina gulped down the tea and grasped for air. "Th…Thanks…" she said. 

"Now that you seem to have stopped choking…" Filia said, studying her, "you can explain what you meant by eating dessert was like a vacation." 

"Oh, that…" Lina said. She cleared her throat. "Um…I was simply referring to…to all the people I've had to endure while we've been here. Don't get me wrong, I love spending time with Xellos… I just…I just hate to be put on display and I've felt like that's what he's been doing ever since we came here. You know, showing off his fiancée to all the important people. It's very stressful, you know." 

"I see," Filia said. 

_Geez!_ Lina thought, continuing to eat her sweets. _I can't let my guard down for a moment! When the hell is Xellos going to be done and get me the hell out of here?? I swear if I end up messing up this sham, it's going to be Xellos's fault for taking so damn long!_

Filia drank about two more cups of tea while Lina gorged her with sweets. After her last cup she lightly set her cup down and nodded her head. Lina only halfway paid attention, deciding that Filia had been thinking about something. She figured it was only more questions about the relationship between her and Xellos, so since that was what she expected, she didn't see any harm in enjoying some cake and pie while Filia tried to expose her. 

"I suppose I have no choice." 

Lina stopped midway in licking frosting from her mouth, leaving a white ring above her lips. "Hmm?" 

"I can't really decide whether I believe you and Xellos," Filia said, "but I'm willing to bargain with you regardless. I'm prepared to offer you a generous sum to call off your engagement to Xellos. Once he and I are married, I don't mind if you want to see him, since I only want to be his wife in the legal sense, so it's not as if I'm telling you to stay away from him if you truly are in love with him." 

"Ee (Huh)?" Lina turned her head to the side. "You're going to bribe me to not marry him??" 

"Yes, I know it's a low thing to do, but I promise that my intentions are good," Filia said. "Once I'm his wife, I'll absolutely make a positive difference in his horrible businesses! I mean, you should see that orphanage of his, if you haven't already. If I had even the slightly authority in that affair, I'd make sure those kids never had to build another toy again." 

Lina put a finger to her chin. _Maybe Filia's not just talking big,_ she thought. _If she's attending this meeting, she has to be an influential figure in the world already. If that's true, she most likely could change several of Xellos's establishments. Even though I'm not really interesting in "saving the world" as she put it, I'm all for bringing Xellos down. It'd probably kill him to see all of his places become legit. I'd love to see that, that's for sure._

"What do you say, Li Li-san?" Filia said. "I'll pay you fifty thousand gold pieces if you agree." 

"Fifty thousand??" Lina repeated. She had to close her mouth for a minute to prevent herself from drooling. 

"I think that's quite fair, considering it doesn't mean you can't be with Xellos, if that's what you truly desire," Filia said. "You can be his wife in every other sense of the way, and I'll just be the one that has that horrible man's last name. Of course, if money should ever be a problem for your afterwards, I'll be happy to oblige. After all, you should be paid well for aiding the welfare of those whom Xellos is making suffer." 

_The hell with Xellos's offer for dragon cuisine!_ Lina thought, rubbing her hands together. _I can pay Xellos back and then find that damn restaurant on my own! Then, of course, I'll have to pay Zel back for his troubles…but that will still leave me plenty to go around as I please for at least a couple of months!_

Filia extended her hand and smiled. "Is it a deal, Li Li-san?" she asked. 

"Well…" Lina said, cutting herself off with laughter. "If you put it that way, I'll have to say--" 

"What a preposterous offer." 

Lina's body grew cold as she felt a hand on her shoulder. "Kuso (Shit)…" she muttered. She turned back and gave Xellos a crooked smile. 

"There's no way my Li Li-chan would accept something like that," Xellos said. His other hand rested on Lina's other shoulder. "Right, honey?" 

"Masaka (No way)," Lina said. She swallowed and laughed as Xellos sat down. "How long have you been around?" 

"Oh, I came along just in time to hear Filia's shameful proposition," Xellos said. One of his eyes opened and locked on Lina's anxious face. "I suppose that's a good thing, hmm?" 

"Someone as humble as me can't possibly be swayed by money," Lina said, turning her gaze to Filia for comfort. "I was just about to refuse your offer, Filia-san." 

"Sou desu ka (Is that right)?" Filia said, frowning at Xellos's sudden presence. "I could have sworn my proposal appealed to you." 

"To my Li Li-chan?" He smiled, both eyes closed again when Lina glanced at him. "That's not possible." 

"Just like I said…" Lina said. She wiped her forehead. _Damnit!_ she thought. _I'm getting tired of these missed opportunities!_

"By the way, Xellos, I heard that you saved Li Li-san's life," Filia said. "What possible reason could you have for doing that?" 

Lina's eyes darted to Xellos again. _Maybe we'll be exposed after all…_ she thought. 

"Reason?" Xellos said. If he were caught off-guard by the question, he didn't suggest it in his tone. "A beautiful woman was in danger. Why wouldn't I rescue her?" 

"Countless people have died before you!" Filia said. She jumped from her seat, looking like she was a minute away from choking Xellos. "How could you suddenly gain compassion in a single moment??" 

"Who am I to explain how love works? It's a very mysterious thing." 

"Fuzakeru nai (Don't joke around)!" Filia snapped. Finally other guests were taking notice of Filia's energetic words, but no one bothered to do anything besides observe. "You're up to something--I know it! A person like you can't be in love! You just want something from her, don't you??" 

Lina didn't know which to be more fearful of: Xellos's calm laughing or Filia's imminent explosion of rage. It was disconcerting to hear Xellos not playfully mocking someone as he usually appeared to be doing, but ridiculing Filia as he were feeding off her negative energy. If Xellos were the person that brought out Lina's worst qualities, then it was Filia that brought out Xellos's worst qualities. Filia tapped at the temper Xellos always kept hidden and forced the man to express things like normal people did. Although Lina had wanted Xellos to act like a real human being, Lina preferred his dishonest self opposed to the eviler one hidden within. 

"Mou (Enough)…" Lina sighed to herself. She bit into a fruit tart covered in whipped cream. Her mouth soon became covered with the stuff, but cleaning it was the least of her concerns. 

"I don't know why you're trying so hard to disprove the love I have for my Li Li-chan," Xellos said. "Regardless of what kind of person you believe me to be, underneath this skin and bones lies a heart just like you or anyone else. Sooner or later I was bound to find someone who could capture my affection." 

"I don't care what you say!" Filia said. She shook her head furiously as if to prevent such an idea from entering her head. "I bet if someone like you was seriously affectionate with someone, you'd probably die from your heart beating for the first time!" 

"Seriously affectionate?" Xellos did his famous confused act. "What would be seriously affectionate?" 

"Forget it!" Filia said. She plopped back down into her chair and waved Xellos away. "I won't deal with you today any more. I lose my resolve to sacrifice my hand in marriage to you." 

Xellos smiled victoriously and turned to Lina. "Sate (Now then), Li Li-chan, perhaps we should go…" he said. He stopped for a second as he noticed all of the cream on Lina's mouth. "Oya (Oh), there's so much cream around your mouth." 

Lina blinked and touched her lips. "Oh, yeah…" she said, reaching for her napkin for the first time. 

"I'll take care of it," Xellos said, stopping the movement of her hand. He pulled Lina's head toward his own and covered his lips over hers. 

Lina was already bewildered that Xellos had suddenly taken that opportunity to kiss her, but she was even more surprised that she couldn't manage to pull away from him. Her hands were clamped on his wrists, using all of her power to force his hands away from her cheeks, but her strength was nothing in comparison to Xellos's. Lina tried to twist her mouth away, but his mouth moved in sync to whatever position hers moved. Lina's hands eventually dropped as the kiss wore on and she felt her warm sensation throughout her entire body. By the time Xellos released her and sat straight again, Lina was shaking uncontrollably and felt as though she were blushing all the way down to her shoulders. 

Xellos licked his lips, smiling contently. "My, whatever you were eating was extremely tasty," he said. He smirked. "Or perhaps that was simply the taste of your lips alone?" 

Filia covered her mouth as if she may throw up. "If…If you'll excuse me…" she said. She was grown in mere seconds. 

"Lina-san?" Xellos said. He waved his hand in front of her face. She hadn't moved, save her trembling, or blinked for a while. "Lina-san, are you all right?" 

Lina wasn't sure how long she had zoned out, but when she became aware of her surroundings again, Xellos was standing beside her chair as he gently shook her. She stared at him for a long time not sure how to respond to him as he said her name over and over again. Lina decided to let him do as he pleased for the moment until she could stop breathing so hard and her heart beat returned to normal. 

"Lina-san, please say something," Xellos pleaded. "I didn't mean to shock you so much. I thought it would be convincing enough to make Filia-san leave… Well, actually, I've always wanted to do that and now I want to even more--" 

"Xellos, you…" 

Xellos dropped his hands. "You finally said something. I'm glad." 

Lina got up from her chair and started walking aimlessly. Xellos immediately walked beside her, noticing how zombie-like her steps were. She was walking much too stiffly and her eyes were wide and unresponsive. 

"Lina-san…" Xellos said. They were nearly to the entrance of the mansion before he stopped her. "Ano (Um)…Lina-san… Yahari (As I thought), you're angry with me." 

Lina came out of her daze and her eyes focused on him. "Angry?" she repeated. She smiled like her usual self. "I'm not angry." 

"That's good to hear. I was worried that--" He didn't get to finish before Lina jabbed her elbow into his middle. He sunk to his knees and coughed furiously. 

"Nope, I'm not angry at all," Lina said in her sweetest voice. "If I was angry, I'd be kicking you right now until you became unconscious." 

Xellos coughed and few more times before he was able to speak. "I…see…" he said. He started coughing again. 

"I'm so relaxed at this second, I'm going to ram my elbow into your stomach one more time, the second you get back on your feet." Lina laughed as if she was delighted. "I just want to show you how much I enjoyed doing a favor for you…_darling_." 

Xellos leaned closer to the ground while holding his stomach. "It was still worth it," he whispered. He didn't dare raise his voice and let Lina actually hear him.   
  
********   
  


Zelgadis leaned on sword and eventually dropped to one knee. He grasped for air, feeling as though he hadn't be allowed to breathe for days. His legs were bleeding into the grass and his arm above him was dripping the red substance every now and then. From the shadow he was casting, Zelgadis assumed it was late morning. He hadn't really paid attention to the time, only concerned with whether it were night or day. He had been glad it hadn't rained for the past two days since he hadn't been indoors for a while. The rugs he had procured had to be left in the middle of street, which had undoubtedly already been stolen. That was frustrating since it had been wasted work for the family he had bothered with his request, but at that point there was nothing he could do about it. No one could say he didn't try to fulfill his wicked relative's request, even though Rezo didn't deserve it, but of course, it was the man's own fault. 

"Mattaku (Honestly)…" Zelgadis said. He lifted up his head and stared up at the sun peaking from the numerous trees. "Two days of that was too much…" 

Zelgadis was tempted to rest, but his goal had been not to waste time. Two days had already passed and he had barely made it a mile out of Sharmin. Rezo hadn't just sent a couple of thugs to take of him, it seemed he had several sets of them waiting for him at every turn. Zelgadis wasn't certain that if he stayed any longer, that some more henchmen wouldn't come along and get in his way. He had managed to keep up the fight for two days without much rest, but he was positive that if someone else came along to fight him, he would lose. Although his legs were stinging with pain as he stood on them, Zelgadis used his sword as a crutch to go on his way. He didn't think he was going to make it to Hadin any time soon, but he wasn't about to stay in Sharmin and make Rezo's plan successful. Helping Lina may have been his goal, but foiling Rezo was his life's mission. If he could stop Rezo from getting what he wanted just once, then Zelgadis could be satisfied. 

"Zan'nen da (Too bad), Rezo," Zelgadis said, smirking despite his pitiful condition. "It's not that easy to stop me." 

A bird started circling overhead, but it wasn't until Zelgadis heard the familiar cry that he stopped his tracks. He turned his view to the sky, watching a hawk swoop down to him. Zelgadis jammed his sword into the earth and wrapped one arm around the sword for support, while extending his other arm. The hawk perched on his forearm and remained still. 

"A message from Zolf?" Zelgadis said. He stopped leaning against his sword long enough to take a note wrapped around the bird's right leg. He waved his arm a little to indicate the bird could leave and once it was gone, Zelgadis began to read the letter. 

Zelgadis's eyebrow rose as he finished reading the message. "Naru hodo (I see)," he said. "Xellos left Hadin a few days ago…and it looks like his destination is…" 

Zelgadis yanked his sword out of the ground and started walking with a better conviction. He chuckled at his good luck, his first in a while since he had gotten into Lina's mess. With the information he had just received from his good friend, Zelgadis was sure that he could beat both crooked businessmen at the same time. 

"Sending me to Sharmin was a big mistake, ojisan (uncle)," Zelgadis laughed. "From here I can easily get on Xellos's trail."   
  
********   
  


From what Lina could tell, Xellos seemed to be taking her down a street where a good restaurant could be located. They were passing several shops and restaurants, so at the moment Lina didn't bother to call him out as liar. Besides, Lina was too happy that it was their final day and they were heading back to Hadin that evening. Even though going back to Hadin meant spending more time with Xellos in his mansion, Lina preferred that over their little business vacation. She still hadn't gotten over the incident from the other day when she had to play the role of Xellos's fiancée. First Lina had thought Xellos's stunt in the forest was the worst; then Lina had thought the carriage ride ordeal was the worst. Lina was positive that few things were going to bump the kiss she had shared with Xellos the other day from the top of her worst list. However, for whatever reason, Lina wasn't too haunted by it. Yes, she felt some unpleasantness whenever she thought of it, but her anger had already disappeared. In fact, Lina felt more embarrassed than anything else when the scene played back in her mind. She wondered if Xellos would have still done the same thing had she not had her mouth covered in cream. When they returned to the inn, she had washed her mouth vigorously, but that hadn't made her feel too much better about the whole thing. 

"Ah, watch out!" 

Lina stopped an inch from running into a cart in the middle of the street. She apologized to the elderly woman pushing it and waited for her to pass before she returned to Xellos's side. She glanced at him to give him a silent thank you and he smiled in response. Xellos had been quiet about the whole thing, which was a great relief to Lina, but very suspicious. Although it were no secret that Lina probably would harm him if he dared to tease her about their kiss, she still expected him to at least hint about it in his own way. The way Xellos had been acting since they had left the business meeting the other day was as if he had already forgotten the whole thing had happened. Lina supposed that were possible since Xellos had claimed the whole thing was a stunt to drive Filia away. Then again, Xellos had mentioned previous interest in kissing her and Lina was positive he might have done more than that had their carriage ride been just a bit longer. 

"Lina-san?" 

Lina was startled by Xellos's words and she instantly went on guard. "Wha…What do you want?" 

"Well, I don't feel right about having never properly thanked you," Xellos said. The two of them stopped for a moment as a group of playing children ran by. "I truly appreciate what you did for me yesterday." 

"What are you thanking me for?" Lina said. She didn't want to blush, but she couldn't help it now that they were actually talking about the day before. "I only did it for the dragon cuisine. Anyway, the next time Filia sees you, she'll know that you were lying the time before." 

Xellos shrugged and they continued walking now that the path was clear. "She probably knew I was lying anyhow," he said. "Demo it was such a relief to have you there. It's times like these where I really feel attached to you." 

"You were attached yesterday, all right…" Lina muttered. She frowned when he started to laugh. "Really, Xellos, what do you want from me? I can't see how someone like me could give you anything you want." 

"Maa (Well)…it seems there are more things I want from you than when I first brought you to my house." 

"I give up," Lina said. Her disinterest was a ploy to hide her discomfort. "I think Filia was right about you. You don't do anything without a reason behind it. I know I'm a part of some kind of master plan you're scheming. You might as well tell me what it is." 

"Master plan, is it?" Xellos said. He smiled to himself and kept quiet for a minute. "So what you're saying is that it's impossible that I simply want you around?" 

"Of course," Lina said. She put her hands on her hips, making her stride seem more confident. "That's just your cover. I'm guessing that if I knew your true plan, it would mess it up, so you have to keep me in the dark by trying to convince me that you happen to enjoy my company." 

"I do, Lina-san, I truly do," Xellos said. He held up his hand. "One thing I admire about you is that you're not easily fooled. I'd like to say that I've had an easy time deceiving you so many times, but the truth is I often have to think of new ways to trick you. I just make it seem easy." 

"What are you getting at?" Lina said. She only let herself sound vaguely interested. 

"What I'm getting at is that I don't think I could pretend so well to like you," Xellos said. "My guess is that you have noticed my fondness toward you, but you refuse to believe it because it makes you uncomfortable." 

"There you go talking nonsense again," Lina said, fighting a blush. She ended up losing the fight. 

"And there you go again avoiding the truth to prevent uneasiness," Xellos returned. 

Lina stopped and stamped her foot. "Who do you think you are to tell me how I feel??" she said. "Give me one reason I should believe that you're not just playing around with me so that you can better use me in your scheme!" 

"Hmm…" Xellos said. He rubbed the top of staff against the side of his head. "One reason…huh? I'd have to say…the fact that you're with me right now." 

"Nani?" 

"The truth is, Lina-san, my original plan was to have a suitable reason to get you arrested. Once you were there, I was planning to use my influence to keep you there as long as I wanted. Then, perhaps if I felt you could be some use to me, I would go to you and get you to promise me a favor in exchange for your release." 

"Ma…Maji (Seri…Seriously)??" Lina said. That sounded exactly like something Xellos might do. 

"However, I went against that plan and decided it would be much more fun to have you working a year for me," Xellos said. "I really have no regrets with my decision so far." 

Lina rubbed her shoulders and went ahead of Xellos, although she didn't know where the restaurant was. "Maybe the world would be a safer place if Filia just married you…" she muttered. 

"Don't be silly, Lina-san," Xellos said behind her. "If I married a woman like her, she'd suck all the fun right out of me and ruin all of my wonderful establishments. Besides, what's the point of having a boring and unattractive wife? Now, if I were truly marrying someone like you, that would be worthwhile." 

"Shut up, Xellos," Lina said, covering up her ears. "Don't say any more." 

"Why not? Is the thought of us together such a horrible image?" 

"Yes!" Lina quickened her pace, her heart racing. "It's an unthinkable, horrible image!" 

Xellos easily stayed within her audio range. "If that's true, then why didn't you fight me the entire time we were kissing?" He stopped abruptly as Lina froze in front of him. 

"I…I was…" Lina said. She wanted to scowl at him, but only confusion filled her face. Xellos's comment was a point she hadn't taken into consideration. Lina had been trying to pull him away at first, but it wasn't long before she felt like her arms had become numb and had stopped gripping him. It wasn't anything Lina could easily explain, much less to the person involved in the action. When Lina came to this realization of complete perplexity, she simply started walking again without another word. 

_I don't really know…_ Lina thought. _Great, now I bet Xellos is going to say some kind of smug comment or tease me about it._

"Well, I'm sorry if I was out of line again, Lina-san," Xellos said. He soon took the lead again. "I was a little disappointed we didn't get to finish what we started in the carriage, so I took advantage of the situation. I enjoyed myself very much, but for once I'm not going to embarrass you until you get upset enough to knock the wind out of me again. I think you've hit me more times on this three-day trip than you have all those other weeks we've been together." 

Lina blinked, staring at his back. "Huh?" she said. "Wait a minute…" 

"Hmm?" Xellos turned back at her. "Is there something wrong?" 

"Uh…no." Lina frowned to herself after Xellos faced front again. _That was a perfect opportunity to torture me and he didn't take it,_ she thought. _Maybe he's trying to save that pleasure for later…or maybe he actually sincerely--_

"Ah, here it is!" 

Lina's thoughts of anything but food quickly disappeared. "Hontou (Really)??" she said, her head whipping around in all directions. "Doko, doko (where, where)??" 

Xellos pointed his staff at a white sign hanging on a pole. "I believe it's that building there," he said. 

Lina turned in the direction of said building and was dancing around happily as she read the sign. Her first reading still left her bouncing around, chanting about eating dragon cuisine. This continued for about ten seconds before her brain informed her of an important detail. She kept still and reread the sign, her happy expression dropping. 

"What…What the hell is this??" 

Xellos glanced at Lina. "What do you mean?" 

Lina grabbed him by the collar. "That doesn't say 'Dragon Cuisine!'" she said. "That says 'Dragoon's Cuisine!'" 

"Dragoon?" Xellos repeated. He still didn't seem to understand. "What does that mean?" 

"It means," Lina said, her voice become very deep, "that it's the cuisine of someone named Dragoon, not dragon cuisine!!" 

"Sou desu ka (Is that right)?" Xellos said. He laughed and shrugged. "Sumimasen (Forgive me), it's my mistake. I could have sworn that sign had said Dragon Cuisine. My, what are the odds of something like that happening?" 

Lina dropped to her knees and buried her face in her hands. "I should have known this was too good to be true!" she said. "I went through all of this suffering and I don't get a single reward!" 

"Don't be dismayed, Lina-san," Xellos said. He smiled in hopes it would comfort her. "There are plenty of other nice restaurants in the area. Let's go to one of them before we check out of the inn and go home." 

"Yeah, there's plenty of other restaurants," Lina growled. She removed her hands from her face to reveal a scowl. "But none of them are dragon cuisine! You promised me dragon cuisine, you near-sighted liar!!" 

"I wasn't trying to trick you this time…" Xellos said, backing away from Lina as she stood. "Honestly…" 

"I've had it, Xellos!!" Lina roared. She clasped her hand over her fist. "My last favor to you is going to be that I won't kill you!" 

Xellos waved his hands to plead with her. "Matte kudasai (Please wait)!" he said. 

Lina grinned at him and took a step forward. "You better hope I'm more trustworthy with my promise than you were, Xellos!" she said. Lina did her best to grant Xellos that final favor, but it proved to be a much more difficult task than pretending to be his fiancée.   
To be continued...   


--Next chapter: Zelgadis tries to reunite with Lina but has some problems doing so. Lina goes back to Hadin and has the time of her life. That's right, the time of her life. What's in store for the next chapter? I'll know as soon as I write it. However, if I reveal any more of my ideas for it, you might not be too surprised. Until next time! ^_^ 


	11. Kanpai! Part One

Author's Notes: Haha! Success! Much work in bad spurts of random time. Extremely long break, but this chapter is the longest yet. Yay! Second to last chapter here. The next one (not the next part, but chapter 10) is the last one. This is exciting for me because to this date I have never completed a fanfic. Started many, but no success. Anyway, enjoy the first part and the next. Sorry for the delay, but better later than never.  
  


**Chapter Nine: Kanpai (Cheers)!, Part One**

  
  
Lina shook her hand, hoping that would relieve it of the soreness. Although she was used to using her hands frequently, she had been excessively using them as of late. The journey back to Hadin required her to use them about every twenty minutes. All Xellos had to do was to mention one little thing that irritated her or try to enter her zone of privacy (which was an invisible area that had a mile radius) and Lina was drawn to strike him. Truth be told, Lina was a little nervous about letting Xellos get too close, fearing that she would allow Xellos another opportunity to take advantage of her. Lina, of course, wasn't merely being over-cautious; their little business trip appeared to have encouraged Xellos's flirtatious side. Even though Lina didn't like to think of the possibility that Xellos had an interest in her, there were few other ways to explain his behavior. It was better to believe that Xellos had a higher opinion of her and didn't seriously believe that he could manipulate her into his secret plan by sweet talking her. Her favorite theory about why Xellos was suddenly so "amorous" was that it was because the time when Xellos would reveal what he needed Lina so desperately for was nearing. Lina's concerns about what Xellos's secret plan meant in relation to her safety was something she had neglected to consider a great deal. Xellos was successful, if he were indeed trying to get her off-guard, in distracting her from focusing on the big picture. Try as Lina might to worry about her safety in the future, she kept thinking about Xellos's words and actions. The kiss the two had shared particularly occupied her thoughts. 

Xellos seemed to be aware of this, making vague references to that event and forcing Lina to not only replay the scene over in her mind, but also question how she felt about it. At the moment he was quiet as he walked ahead of her (smiling, no doubt), but only three minutes ago, he had been offering to let Lina ride on his back if she were tired. Of course, he was mostly trying to point out in his annoyingly roundabout way that she was beginning to tire. Lina knew Xellos's intent was to upset her and further exhaust her energy more than was it a desire to carry her (not that Lina didn't doubt he'd enjoy that). They had been walking for over an hour now and the sun was beginning to set. The whole journey, as had the one they had taken before, was practically non-stop. To make matters worse, Lina hadn't eaten in over seven hours. 

"Xellos, mada ka (not yet)?" Lina said. The sun was beginning to sink behind the trees. "It's going to be dark soon." 

"Actually, Lina-san," Xellos said, stepping into a clearing in the forest, "I neglected to arrange any kind of accommodations for the night. I thought it might be nice if we slept under the stars." 

Lina glared up at the dimming sky and then back at Xellos. "I hope you're joking," she said. She pitied her poor hand that would have to be abused once again. "We've been walking practically all day through towns and then this forest! Don't tell me that after all that traveling, I have to sleep on the ground!" 

"Now, now," Xellos chided. He removed his bag and took out a blanket. "I'm sure that you've done this sort of thing several times. After all, you usually live your life like a vagabond, right?" 

"I like to think of it as a traveler…" Lina muttered. She could tell that no matter what she said to Xellos they were going to camp there that night, so she gave up and sat down on the grass while Xellos set up things. Lina had really been looking forward to lying down on a soft bed, but she supposed it was better than walking in the dark with Xellos. She might have even taken the opportunity to find something to kill and eat, had Lina the energy to pursue a living animal. For a second, she thought of requesting Xellos, while he set up a fire, to get her some food, but she wasn't certain about his hunting skills. One would think that a man of his status wouldn't know the first thing about chasing and killing an animal, but then again, Xellos wasn't the typical rich person. In fact, Xellos wasn't the typical anything. 

Xellos lit the fire and tossed a few more twigs into the flame. He then proceeded to arrange the blanket neatly beside the fire at a safe distance. Finally he pulled out a second blanket and arranged it on top of the other. It was then Lina figured that Xellos had planned this from the beginning, since he was well prepared for it. He patted their "bed" and motioned for her to join him. Naturally, Lina didn't rush over to sleep with him. 

"Doushimashita ka (Something wrong)?" Xellos said. "Don't tell me you'd rather sleep on the grass?" 

Lina turned her eyes to the fire, pretending that she didn't hear him. Even if she were stubborn enough to try to sleep on the grass, Xellos would probably do some kind of unspeakable thing to her while she slept. They hadn't shared a bed since the little kissing incident, and Lina wasn't sure Xellos had given up trying to finish what he had started in their carriage ride. Although the fire was more than enough to keep her warm, Lina couldn't help but feel cold all over. However, although she felt as though she had a breeze circulating around her shoulders, her forehead was dotted with beads of sweat. Lina was still in possession of knife she had used to keep Xellos in check at the inn, but she wasn't sure if even that would discourage him. No matter what precautions Lina took, she couldn't guard herself against the unpredictable things Xellos could conjure up. Lina would have never imagined that Xellos would have kissed her at that business meeting. Those were the kind of unpredictable things that she didn't need. 

"Don't worry, Lina-san," Xellos said. Lina wondered if he really thought his creepy voice could sound soothing. "I've also been walking around all day. I don't have too much energy to try to take advantage of you." 

"It's easier to believe that you're trying to setup me so that I'll lie down beside you than what you just said was true," Lina said. She drew in a deep breath, contemplating just giving in. She didn't have much energy to argue with Xellos all night. 

"Well, I do have to admit that if you were up for it, I could muster the energy to—" 

Lina ended that sentence with a rock propelled at Xellos's head. "You really don't want to add any more," she promised. 

"As usual," Xellos said, rubbing his head, "you have a very low sense of humor." 

Lina sighed and stood just outside of the blankets. "Ne, Xellos," she said. 

"Hmm?" Xellos tossed the rock away. 

"Why do you do that?" 

Xellos met Lina at eye-level when she knelt next to the blanket. "Do what? Make jokes like that?" 

"No, I mean, let me hit you like that." 

"Let you?" Xellos repeated. He rested his hand on the sore part of his head. "I don't know if I'd call it that…" 

"Could you stop lying for one second?" Lina said. She pointed a finger at him. "I've seen you fight before, and I know you have the power and the reflexes to stop me from practically even scratching you." 

Xellos's smirk, as if Lina had pointed out an interesting secret of his, indicated that she was right. "Maa (Well), it's the only way I can get you to touch me so much," he said. "Even if it's indirectly sometimes." 

"You're a glutton for pain, aren't you?" Lina said, grimacing. He was making her less and less willing to join him under the blanket. 

"It's a lot less painful than you think," Xellos said. His smile was his only response to her disgusted face. "At any rate, Lina-san, let's get some rest. We have quite a bit more traveling to do in the morning, so I don't want you to be exhausted." 

"If you even brush against any part of my body, I will break all your limbs," Lina said. She made a sour smile. "I'm sure that would make you _very_ happy." 

Xellos laughed and nodded. "I completely understand," he said. 

Lina made sure that the distance between herself and Xellos underneath the blanket was the greatest possible. It was little uncomfortable to lie so closely to the edge, but it was even more uncomfortable to be so close to Xellos that she could feel his body heat on herself. She found it incredibly hard to ignore that fact and her thoughts of what Xellos could easily do in their situation. She had her back turned him, which was no more pleasant than if she were facing him. It would comfort her if his back were also turned to her, but of course, the purple-haired millionaire was turned in her direction. As she had when she had shared a bed with Xellos the first time, Lina was extremely of aware of the fact Xellos was awake and staring at her back. At the inn, she could only find herself able to sleep once she was positive that Xellos himself were asleep. In truth, Lina was never positive, but she was at least convinced enough to attempt sleep. She was certain this situation would be no different. 

"Lina-san, give me your arm for a moment." 

Lina blinked and rolled over so that she was facing Xellos. "What—" 

Xellos snapped something on Lina's right wrist, surprising Lina too much to immediately recognize what it was. When she gazed down at her wrist, she noticed there was a metal cuff tightly enclosed around it. She wasn't completely sure what it was until she saw the chain that connected her cuff to the one on Xellos's left wrist. Lina made the mistake of jumping back in shock, before being jerked right back into Xellos. He had undoubtedly enjoyed that, since she heard his chuckle, and Lina shoved herself back as much as she could. 

"What the hell are you doing??" Lina demanded. "Why are we chained together??" 

"I said it before, didn't I, Lina-san?" Xellos said. He was lying on his left side, grinning at Lina as if he had accomplished something very notable. "I'm not going to make the mistake of letting you escape again." 

Lina sweat-dropped. "You seriously think I'd run away while you're sleeping?" she said. "I'd probably wake you up way before I could even get a couple of feet away!" 

"Even so, I'm not taking the risk," Xellos said. "I'll unchain us as soon as I wake up." 

"There's no way, I'm sleeping like this!" Lina roared. She feared tugging any more on the chain, lest she be flung back into Xellos's chest. "I'd rather you cut off my legs so I couldn't even run." 

"It'd be a shame to take off your beautiful legs," Xellos said. He smiled as if that would bring her any comfort. "I think this way is much less barbaric, ne?" 

Lina started to breathe heavily as if she were running out of space to breathe. "There's…there's no way I can sleep like this!" she said. She nearly cried out when Xellos suddenly jerked the chain in his direction, thus lessening their space further. "Cut that out!" 

"If you want the key to separate us," Xellos said, challenging her with his now open eyes, "then by all means take it and unlock the cuffs." 

Lina swallowed. "And the key would be located?" 

"Saa (Who knows)?" Xellos put his hand on his chest, his smile showing hints of indecent thoughts. "I will say that it is somewhere on my body." 

"Just forget it!" Lina said, shutting her eyes. Hearing Xellos's mocking laughing was bad enough, but she didn't need to see his face. She knew she was blushing by the hot sensation in her cheeks, but there was little she could do to quell that. 

"All right, since you seem to have no interest in finding the key, then I suppose we should just get some sleep?" 

"Yes!" Lina said. She wished she could turn on her other side so that her face would not be so near Xellos's, but it was impossible unless she could get Xellos to sleep on his other side. "Goodnight!" 

"Pleasant dreams, Lina-san," Xellos said beside her. 

Lina shivered at the fact that she could feel Xellos's breath upon her face and that his knee was practically touching her leg. She was determined not to make any unnecessary movements (although her body was already shaking), which soon proved to only increase her desire to turn herself into a more natural position. Her longing to turn and her consciousness of Xellos's proximity soon put her into a state of something akin to panic. Needless to say, Lina was not in a situation to go to sleep any time soon. Her heart was beating as if she were physically exerting her body and her mind wouldn't give her a minute's rest upon thoughts of what could happen while she was chained to Xellos. 

_I feel like I'm going to have a heart attack,_ Lina thought, placing her free hand over her heart. _Maybe if I just look at him doing nothing, I'll calm down a little._

Lina slowly opened her eyes, only to view two purple irises ahead of her. As a reflex she pulled back uselessly, shocked that Xellos was staring so hard at her. There was a light smile on his face and his stare suggested that he wasn't just looking in her direction because he had no other choice, but rather he was observing her as if there was something he seriously needed to consider about her. No matter what Xellos's reason was for looking at her that way, Lina couldn't stand it more than a minute before she closed her eyes once again. Her hopes that looking at Xellos would have eased her suspicions of what he might do had the exact opposite effect. Although Lina repeatedly told herself to imagine she were some place less threatening, Xellos would need but shift slightly to make her scream like a little girl. Lina was fortunate that Xellos seemed to have no intention of moving after a hour had passed, but knowing this information didn't help Lina sleep any better.

* * *

Zelgadis finished reading his map and set his lantern at his feet. "According to that person's directions, if the two of them were heading for Hadin, they would have needed to come through this forest," he said. He sighed and gazed up the violet sky, lit only by the sliver of moon peeping from a dark cloud. 

_It's already dark now,_ Zelgadis thought, returning his eyes back ahead of him. _I doubt they would still be traveling in this darkness. Either I've already missed them or they took an alternate route._ He stuffed the map back into his pocket and took his lantern back into his hand. Zelgadis decided it was better to forget about finding them and think about finding a place to make camp for the night. In the morning he would return to Hadin since intercepting the two on their way back seemed to have been a trivial pursuit. 

The longer Zelgadis walked, the more he felt conscious of his own stupidity. What in the world was he doing traveling around like a maniac just for the sake of Lina? Would there be any compensation for all of his troubles if he did indeed find Lina and Xellos? Zelgadis was beginning to think that maybe he should really heed his uncle's words about staying clear of Lina. Of course, he didn't think of doing so permanently, but he did wonder if it were best to simply wait until she was no longer involved with Xellos. Although Zelgadis knew it were completely of Rezo's own will, he doubted he would have been forced to see his despicable uncle, especially under the terms he had, had he not meddled in Lina's affairs. Nothing Lina had ever pulled him into after Zelgadis had moved out of Rezo's house had made him cross his uncle's path before. Had anyone else but Lina Inverse asked for help that involved not Rezo but Xellos as well, Zelgadis would have washed his hands of it a long time ago. 

Zelgadis had to pause for a moment to let a snake slither past him. He frowned, thinking immediately of Xellos and how he always manage to wriggle away as the victor in every situation. Zelgadis's steps became much more like stomps and he removed all thoughts of giving up interfering with Xellos's plans. Yes, if he considered the situation from a point of helping Lina, his efforts seemed fruitless; however, Zelgadis forgot that he hadn't yet repaid Xellos for his wrongs against him. 

The darkness of the forest continued to pervade as the night wore on, making the light from Zelgadis lamp seem scarcely better than a lit match in his hand. For an extra sense of what was coming before him, he was forced to feel for anything troublesome ahead, which didn't help speed up his pace. Just as he was about to stop after placing a hand on a thick tree in front of him, Zelgadis noticed a faint light in the distance. He squinted, wondering if that led to the end of the forest. Although he knew it were smarter to stay where he was, lest he fall into some unseen ditch or stroll into the nest of an unfriendly animal, Zelgadis was compelled to follow the light to its source. He stumbled through the darkness, eventually becoming more aware of where he was placing his feet as he moved, and arrived at a clearing where he could make out a dying fire. Zelgadis continued toward the fire, hoping that he would find someone who might tell him where the nearest town was located. 

He froze and stared at the sight next to the fire. "What the hell…" he said. Zelgadis rubbed his eyes to make sure he wasn't imagining things. It wasn't so much that he was surprised that he had actually found Lina and Xellos; it was more that he was shocked at their sleeping conditions. Xellos was sleeping impossibly too close to Lina (whom he assumed to be asleep since her eyes were closed), which Zelgadis couldn't imagine happening unless Xellos had done something to her. Perhaps Lina had been paralyzed by some drug Xellos had used or some conflict had led to her being beaten to exhaustion—Zelgadis thought of the worse. His face began to flush as he considered the ideas of Xellos taking advantage of Lina in any such situation where Lina was unable to defend herself, although it had more to do with his suspicions of Xellos than his lack of confidence in Lina's ability to defend herself. 

Zelgadis frowned and crept over to the side of the blankets where Lina laid "asleep." He glanced at Xellos's head poking from the sheets and supposed there was little he could do to prove the man was also asleep without waking him. Zelgadis ignored him for the moment and crouched down beside Lina so that he could whisper her name near her ear. 

Lina didn't notice her name softly being repeated, too wrapped up in a silent chanting about being fine with Xellos so near, until she felt a gentle hand on her shoulder. Her eyes snapped open and her trembling returned. Her thoughts were too saturated with images of Xellos trying to make a move on her to consider that it couldn't possibly be his hand. 

"Lina." 

Lina screamed for about three seconds before a hand clamped over her mouth. She tried to wiggle herself free, of course being restrained by the chain connecting her and Xellos, while also being held into place by the hand that was still on her shoulder. Zelgadis became a little nervous, believing that the little shaking would soon wake up Xellos, if it hadn't already. 

"Lina, calm down!" Zelgadis said in her ear, though she couldn't see him. "It's just me!" 

Lina instantly calmed and by doing so, allowed Zelgadis to remove his hand. "Zel!" she said just above a whisper. She turned so that she was on her lying on her back and looked up at him. "How the hell did you find us?" 

"I have my ways," Zelgadis said. He glanced at Xellos again before returning his gaze to Lina. "Are you all right? Xellos hasn't done anything to you has he?" 

"Done…anything?" Lina began to sweat as if Zelgadis knew everything. "What…what do you mean?" 

"Well, it's surprising to see you in this position with Xellos, of all people." 

Lina pulled out her free hand and wiped her brow. "Believe me it's not by choice…" she said. "I'll explain that later, but first help me get out of here!" 

"Help you?" Zelgadis repeated. He sweat-dropped. "Then Xellos has drugged you or something like that?" 

"Don't be an idiot," Lina returned. She pulled down the blanket a little so that he could see the chain. "I'm just chained to him." 

"Silly me." Zelgadis's sweat-drop doubled. "I'm not even going to think where Xellos got those shackles from…" 

_Xellos really doesn't trust Lina,_ he thought. 

"Just get the key and free me." 

"Where is it?" 

"Shiranai (I dunno)." 

Zelgadis face-faulted in front of her. He remained in a mid-push-up position. "How do you propose I free you then??" 

"Well…" Lina offered him a weak smile. "Xellos said it was somewhere on him." 

Zelgadis's face turned red in a mere second. "Are you kidding me??" he said. He pushed himself back so that he was resting on his knees. "You want _me_ to search Xellos's body for a key??" 

"Yeah, but…if I do it, I'll die…" Lina said. She averted her gaze to offset her blushing. "I just can't do it!" 

"Oi." Zelgadis couldn't help but give her look while she played her helpless act. "Since when did you become a spineless creampuff?" 

Lina turned on the fake tears. "Xellos creeps me out," she cried. "I can barely breathe in this situation—you gotta help me, Zel." 

"…" 

"You're both guys, so it should be okay, right? Right? Right??" 

Zelgadis buried his face in his hands. "For the love of God, all right," he said. "If neither of us does anything, nothing will get solved." 

Lina's "tears" turned to those of joy. "Zel, you are the greatest friend ever." 

"Yeah," Zelgadis said, letting out a sigh. _For all that is holy, Xellos better really be asleep,_ he thought. 

Zelgadis's hand trembled as it hovered beside Xellos's chest. His mind kept scolding at him for once again doing Lina's bidding, but his hand continued to move forward with the idea of the benefits of helping Lina. If anything it would remove that smug expression Xellos had on his face at the time he had visited his home and he had sent him away. Zelgadis could almost smile about ruining Xellos's plans if only for a little while. More than anything (even more than not wanting to touch Xellos), Zelgadis wanted to make Xellos suffer. 

His hand lightly laid just below Xellos's shoulders. Zelgadis kept watch on Xellos's eyes, however, waiting for the slightest twitch to indicate he was awake. He gently patted across Xellos, pressing only hard enough to determine whether or not a key or some kind of chain was present. Zelgadis made it to the tip of his stomach, finding nothing, and he squeezed his eye shut as a bead of sweat neared his lid. He flicked it away with his free hand and looked to Lina biting down on her lip. Her forehead was no less drier than his as she gazed at him with a questioning gaze. Zelgadis shook his head and pulled back further onto the grass. 

"It's possible, but I don't think that he has it's on his back," Zelgadis said. _Not that I particularly want to make sure…_ he thought. Xellos seemed to be soundly sleeping beside Lina, but Zelgadis couldn't shake the strange feeling he had. _I never thought I'd see a person like him sleeping…_

"Zel, you gotta check _everywhere_!" Lina said. "His back and legs too!" 

There was little that prevented Zelgadis from shouting at that point. "Don't you think that's exactly what Xellos would have wanted you to do??" he said. "Obviously the key's somewhere else and he only wanted to have the sick pleasure of you feeling all over him." 

"No, you've got Xellos all wrong," Lina said. With her free hand she lifted a finger in the air. "Listen, it's more likely that the key is somewhere on him because he knows that there's almost no way I'd want to touch him. See?" 

"This is almost too much…" 

"What other choice do we have? Unless you have the ogre-like strength to break this chain on your own." 

Zelgadis sighed. "I'd rather see if I do." 

"Come on, don't quit on me now—Xellos might wake up soon." 

"But…" Zelgadis was glad it dark enough that one could barely see how red his face was. "Maybe we should check his bags first—" 

"Zel!" 

"All right!" He collected his reservations as he inhaled, and released the reservations as he exhaled. "Just another item to add to my list of regrets…" 

Zelgadis crawled to the other side of their blanket, carefully sticking his hand underneath it so that he could inspect Xellos's back. Just as the front, Zelgadis failed to find anything. He scooted down on the grass, his hand shaking as he touched the back of Xellos's left calf. Zelgadis prayed more times than there were drops of sweat on his face that he would find a key and thus make the whole ordeal worth something. After feeling along the back of Xellos's right leg, Zelgadis was beginning to think it was going to be another useless thing he had done for the sake of Lina Inverse. Finally, he crawled over to the foot of the blanket and tried the front of Xellos's legs, starting from the ankle. He cringed when he touched his left thigh, hoping that later on he wouldn't have nightmares of what he had done, but had yet to find anything. Zelgadis was so convinced that he had done a disgusting thing for no reason that when he had checked Xellos's other leg and felt something unusual not too far above his knee, he failed to immediately recognize it and turned to Lina. 

"Well, that was a complete waste of—" 

Lina blinked as Zelgadis turned back to Xellos again. "What is it? Is he awake??" 

"Iie, I think…" Zelgadis gently went over Xellos's leg again. "I think I found a key." 

"Hontou (Really)??" 

"Shh!" Zelgadis said. He turned to her and frowned. "It seems its around his right thigh…which is pretty odd." 

"Not really for a twisted person like him…" Lina said. 

Zelgadis muttered something about her having searched Xellos before for a deed with almost no problem. When Lina asked him what he had said, he replied that he hadn't said anything important. "What is important," he said, "is how we get the key." 

"What do you mean?" Lina said. "It's right there—just take it." 

Zelgadis clenched his fists. "Lina, are you listening?" he asked. "I said it's on his leg! Which means it's underneath his pants." 

The color of Lina's face indicated she now understood. "Okay, well…" she said, her voice dropping lower with each word, "just take…take off…" 

"I'd leave you here first," Zelgadis said. Lina tried to turn her puppy dog-eyes on her, but it was unable to pierce his deadpan expression. 

"Okay, then what??" 

"Lina, you're being too loud again!" Zelgadis inspected Xellos's face and couldn't find anything changes from his sleeping expression from moments ago. "I'm sure there's…something we can do…" 

"What?" Lina placed her hand on her forehead and sighed. "See how much Xellos likes to torment me? I bet he'd have so much fun if I were to reach under for that key. Ugh! It makes me sick…" 

_Lina's no help…_ Zelgadis thought as he tried to ignore her soft sounds of loathing. _I'd rather die than go underneath Xellos's clothes… But really, like Lina said, what other choice do we have? Anyway, I'm sure if one of us tried to move his clothes, he'd easily wake up._

"It's no use, after all, huh?" Lina said, after Zelgadis had been slightly thinking. "Mou (Enough this)! Give me your sword, Zel—I'd rather chop off my hand than stay like this." 

Zelgadis snapped his fingers. "That should work," he said. He pulled out his dagger from his side. 

"Oi," Lina said. She waved her hand nervously. "I was just being dramatic—" 

"Don't be stupid." He smiled and placed the blade at his own thigh to demonstrate. "With this I can cut out a hole in Xellos's pants and—" 

"Naru hodo (I see)!" Lina said. "Great thinking, Zel!" 

"I got the idea from your defeated words, but…" 

Lina rubbed the side of her head. "At least they were helpful in some way…" 

Zelgadis pinched a bit of the fabric above the key, slowly cutting out a rough square big enough for two fingers. Although, Xellos didn't make any alerting movements during this moment, Zelgadis felt an increasing tension from the second he grasped the key and gently tugged it from the thin string tied around Xellos's thigh. He released a breath and turned to Lina with a triumphant smile. Lina could barely hold back her joyful cries as Zelgadis unlocked her shackle. 

"This is the greatest relief ever!" Lina said. 

"Hurry up and get your things," Zelgadis said. He tossed the key on the side of the blanket Lina once occupied. "Let's get the hell out of here." 

"Uhn (Yeah)!" Lina said. She quickly grabbed her bag from the path of ground behind the fire and then motioned for Zelgadis to follow her in the same direction. "If we head this way, we can probably get a good distance before Xellos wakes up." 

"All right." 

Lina began to take the lead when Zelgadis joined her, but she stopped not too soon after she had walked a five feet away from the clearing. Zelgadis stood at her back, raising a brow. "Doushita (What's wrong), Lina?" 

Lina swallowed and seemed to turn to look at him. However, Zelgadis noticed that Lina's gaze wasn't quite meeting his. It was slightly focused on something behind him. It only took Zelgadis a second to think of what she could possibly be looking at. He turned back as well, only showing slight discomfort. Zelgadis couldn't really be too surprised; after all, it wasn't as if something like this hadn't happened before. 

"So he wasn't really asleep after all." 

"Looks like it." 

Xellos tossed the unlocked chain onto the blanket and rotated his wrist. "Yare, yare (My, my), how very unexpected," he said. He bent down and took his staff into his hand. 

Lina stood by Zelgadis's side. The two were a good many feet away from Xellos, yet they could easily hear him through the quiet night and the dying crackling of the fire. "Maa (Well), I will say I'm I pleased that you didn't drag on your little act any longer," Lina said. "I was beginning to think our getaway was too easy." 

Xellos walked to the side of the fire, a flickering shadow covering half of his face. "I hadn't planned on Zelgadis-san finding us out here. Seems like Rezo-san wasn't able to take care of you. Zan'nen deshita ne (That's a shame)." 

"Na (Wha)…" Lina glanced at Zelgadis whose scowl suggested her guess was right. She swallowed and looked back at Xellos smiling in satisfaction. _I don't know why I'm surprised but I am,_ she thought. _Obviously Zel's all right, but if Xellos is willing to employ Rezo to get rid of him, there's no telling what he'll do next to get rid of him._

"It'll take more than Rezo to get rid of me, kisama (bastard)," Zelgadis growled. 

"Looks like it," Xellos agreed. His smile only showed more delight. 

Lina wasn't sure if it was her imagination, but it seemed that the shadow on his face stopped flickering and expanded over the other half of his face as Xellos revealed the blade underneath his staff. Before she could say something to her friend beside her, she heard a metallic scrapping as Zelgadis took out his own sword. Sweat tickled the side of her cheek as it collected at the tip of her chin. 

"Oi, what are you two thinking—" Lina said. 

"I suppose I should have taken care of you the first time we met, ne?" Xellos said. He turned the edge of his blade parallel to his chest, the metallic weapon glinting as he did. "This time I won't make the mistake of thinking there's little harm if you live." 

"Xellos, you can't—" Lina stopped when Zelgadis approached Xellos. 

"That's my line," Zelgadis said. "I'm positive if I got rid of you, the evil in this world would at least decrease by half." 

_No kidding,_ Lina thought while the two stared each other down. Although Xellos seemed to have a light-hearted expression on his face in the presence of Zelgadis's glare, she could sense a definite malicious intention behind it. _Xellos is seriously pissed. I don't know how I can tell, but he's not just joking around this time. Xellos might really kill Zel this time, and that's the last thing I should let happen. If anyone should get killed it outta be me. Not that Xellos doesn't have a horrible death waiting for him, though—_

The sudden charge by Zelgadis interrupted Lina's thoughts and reinforced her fears about the danger her friend was in. She knew for a fact that Zelgadis had improved his skills considerably since the last time he and Xellos had fought, but the other fact of the matter was that neither quite knew the extent of Xellos's skill back then. He could have only showed a tiny fraction of what he was capable of, merely to mock Zelgadis as he used the majority of his own strength and speed. This time seemed no different and Lina could tell from the first few seconds that Xellos was in control of the fight. He left no openings or at least no openings that weren't designed as a trap. As their fight went on, Lina saw him leave himself unguarded suddenly as if he had naturally forgotten to guard himself after delivering a blow. Luckily, Zelgadis had the same suspicions as Lina and hadn't targeted for the obvious spot, but Lina was hardly comforted by such a small detail. The moment Xellos would go on the offense was what Lina was most worried about. Lina wondered if she should somehow stop the fight now or if she should give Zelgadis the benefit of the doubt and trust that he could handle Xellos. Lina leaned toward allowing Zelgadis to pit his strength against Xellos's and only interfering if it became too much for her friend to handle. 

Lina cursed as she saw Zelgadis lose footing for three seconds, creating a small hole in the defense he had been careful to return after delivering a blow to Xellos. Perhaps if Xellos had been fighting someone else Lina might have been impressed at the speed and precision at which Xellos went for the spot on Zelgadis's left abdomen. She was more impressed at the fact Zelgadis could shift his torso in enough time to only have Xellos scrape at his side. Xellos created some distance between them, resting his staff parallel to his leg. Zelgadis kept himself in a neutral position, ignoring the wound he assumed was superficial and positioning himself in a stance that would easily allow him to change his mode of defense into one of attack. 

"You're not too bad, Zelgadis-san," Xellos admitted. "I was certain I would hurt you considerably with that opening you showed me." 

"Don't think that I'm at the same level I was before," Zelgadis said. "I've improved quite a bit since we last fought." 

"Tashikani (Certainly)." Xellos smiled the way he did when it seemed that he possessed information that others didn't. 

Although Lina wasn't sure either would listen to her if she spoke, she decided to take the opportunity to speak since Xellos's weapon was at a rest for the moment. "Xellos, is this really necessary?" she said. She put a hand on her hip. "Fighting Zel's only gonna give me a chance to escape. I could easily run away while you're in the middle of stabbing him." 

"We know each other well enough that I know that you wouldn't do something like that, Lina-san," Xellos said. He leaned on his staff as if he weren't in the middle of a fight. "After all, your expression tells me that you're worried about whether your little friend will be able to handle me." 

Lina glared at him and Xellos smiled in response. "Chigaimasu ka (Is that wrong)?" 

"Heh!" Lina folded her arms over her chest. "I just don't want to miss a chance to see your death. It's only proper that I get a front row seat when that happens." 

"Sou ka (Really)?" He drummed his fingers on the orb of his staff. "You may have a front row seat for a death that you don't intend to witness." 

"There's no way that I'm going to have a lowly son of bitch like you take my life," Zelgadis said. He took a small step back but didn't form any break in his defense. "Let's finish this! I don't plan to fight you until daybreak!" 

"Daybreak, you say?" Xellos repeated. He looked up at the black sky, admiring the stars. "A burial at sunrise would be nice… Wouldn't you agree, Lina-san?" 

Lina was about to spout fiery words at Xellos until she heard Zelgadis's own hiss. She noticed how his hands began to shake at Xellos's lack of seriousness and how quickly Zelgadis altered his stance into offense. "Zel, don't!" she shouted. "Xellos, is just trying to—" 

Lina knew that it was useless as well as she knew that Zelgadis had full knowledge of what Xellos was doing and didn't care. There was a possibility that Zelgadis would be able to move fast enough that Xellos wouldn't be able to lift his blade in a way that could block or counter Zelgadis's attack, but Lina felt there was a greater possibility there was a reason Xellos could stand so calmly while someone drew nearer with a sword meant to pierce his liver. She would admit that Xellos's speed was great, but she wasn't sure whether his speed was great enough to suddenly slice Zelgadis in the last two seconds. 

A light breeze felt like it was purposely tickling Lina's nose and she lowered her head to sneeze at the same instance she assumed Zelgadis would make contact. She heard the sound of metal cutting through clothes and flesh as she lifted her to see what damage had been done. Neither Xellos nor Zelgadis were moving at the time and her friend's back prevented Lina from seeing whether or not Xellos had been able to injure Zelgadis. She squeezed her hands into fists as the seconds drew on, waiting for one of them to make some kind of indication of what had happened. 

"Oya, oya, this isn't too good," Xellos said, ending the silence. He nor Zelgadis had yet to move, so Lina couldn't interpret the true meaning of his words. 

"Ku…Kuso (Cr…Crap)…" Zelgadis grunted and fell to the ground, revealing that Xellos's staff had moved to the offense. A thin film of blood coated the end of his blade. 

"Zel!" 

Lina only was able to lift her foot before Zelgadis held up a hand. "Stay back!" he said. "I'm fine!" 

Xellos used a finger to clean off one side of his blade, gathering some of the blood at his fingertip. "Yes, don't interrupt the fun now," he said. "I want to entertain you a little more, Lina-san, before I finish off Zelgadis-san." 

"Who's finishing off who?" Zelgadis said. He slowly shifted from a full kneeling position to one that was simply on one knee. "If this is supposed to be a serious wound then you're going to have to do a lot better than this, Xellos." 

_Damnit, I know that Zelgadis has incredible stamina,_ Lina thought as Zelgadis managed to rise again, _but I also know when he's pushing himself too hard. I'm not even that close to him and I can tell that it's a serious wound. He's bleeding down to his stomach for God's sake!_

"You'll fight me one-handed, then?" Xellos said. He waged the same finger wet with Zelgadis's blood. "Giving yourself a handicap would make things harder for yourself, isn't that right?" 

Zelgadis's hand pulled away from his chest momentarily before he drew it back to his wound. "One hand is more than enough to take care of you," he said. He held his sword protectively in front of him. "Come on!" 

"As you wish." Xellos stood in preparation to attack. "I'll try to make your next injury more meaningful." 

Lina couldn't stand to see any more blood leak from Zelgadis nor see the disgusting way Xellos enjoy the sight of her friend bleeding. She calmly walked over to Xellos and placed her hand on his shoulder, ignoring Zelgadis's protests of her not interfering. Xellos dropped his staff a little and gave her a curious look. 

"Lina-san?" 

"Mou ii (Enough), Xellos," Lina said. She sighed. "Just forget about Zelgadis and let's go back to sleep. There's no point in fighting if either way you're going to end up winning." 

"Lina, what are you saying??" Zelgadis said. "I can handle—" 

"Zel, even if you win this fight, you're going to be too injured to get away quickly," Lina said. She shook her head. "I know when to pull back when I'm in too deep." 

"But, Lina, if I kill—" 

"Not gonna happen." 

"Lina!" 

"I've decided to stay with Xellos, all right?" Lina said. She sighed again. "Nothing you say is going to change my mind." 

Xellos pulled his hands behind him and smiled without the malice from the beginning of the fight. "That's very sweet of you to want to save the life of your friend, Lina-san," he said. "Although, I think it will be in vain. Surely you don't believe Zelgadis-san will simply walk away from this fight?" 

"Of course!" Zelgadis said. He cringed as he walked a little toward her. "This is more than about you, Lina." 

"Not for Xellos," Lina said. She frowned at the one she named. "If I come along quietly, you won't fight, right?" 

"Hmm…" Xellos said. "I would say yes, but with Zelgadis-san still around, it's hard to guarantee that he won't interfere." 

"He won't," Lina said. She glanced at Zelgadis whose mouth had been open to protest. "Just leave, Zel." 

"Lina, you can't be serious—" 

"Let's go, Xellos." Lina turned and placed her hand on Xellos's back when he turned with her. 

"This is truly fine with you, Lina-san?" Xellos asked. He stopped near the edge of the fire to pick up the wooden part of his staff. 

Lina slightly pressed her hand at his back as if to continue lead him forward, yet she made no movement. "It's for the best," she said. 

"I'm glad you can be reasonable sometimes," Xellos said. He shared a smile with her. 

"I'm not an complete idiot, you know," Lina said. 

"Yes, I know." His smile turned goofy. "I do enjoy how you're touching me right now, I'll admit. I was hoping you would have touched me a little more tonight." 

"Oh, really?" Lina said. She moved closer to Xellos and slid her hand on his back to the left front end of his collarbone. "You should really like this then." 

"Lina-san?" Xellos's face showed curiosity again, but he showed little desire to stop her until her found out her purpose. 

Lina grinned, making complete eye contact with Xellos the whole time. As soon as his lips parted to question her intentions, Lina drove her fist into Xellos's stomach with all of her strength. She wasn't sure if she would be able to knock him out, like she had done with several other people she had done the same, but she was at least sure that he would not be able to stand for a good long time. Xellos coughed violently and dropped down to his knees, doubling over. Lina glanced back at Zelgadis whom had been watching the whole thing from afar, finally understanding what Lina was up to. For a moment he had been tempted to leave, but he was glad he had listened to his gut feeling that Lina would not have given up so easily. 

"Lina…san…you…" Xellos's back continued to shake from his chain of coughing fits before he grew silent and still on the ground. 

"Sorry, Xellos," Lina said, dusting off her hands, "if I spend any more time with you, I'll go insane." 

Zelgadis shuffled over beside her, lightly nudging Xellos with his foot and getting no response from him. "I wasn't sure what you were up to," he said. "I almost thought you were truly going with Xellos for a moment." 

Lina wiped her forehead. "Xellos gets me so wound I can't stop shaking inside," she said. "I'm not even sure if he's really knocked out. Even as much as I've hit him, I've never really hit him hard enough to make him lose consciousness." 

"Well," Zelgadis said, sheathing his sword, "it wouldn't be much in his interest to pretend to be passed out right now." He used his empty hand to lift up Xellos's limp head. "Whether he's out cold or trying to fool us, we better move it anyway. There's no point standing around waiting for him to wake up." 

"Uhn (Right)," Lina said. Although she immediately returned her bag to her back and fell into step behind Zelgadis, she couldn't help but turn her head just slightly over her shoulder to glance at Xellos on the ground. For a few seconds she was tempted to continuously kick him until he either stopped playing possum or convinced her thoroughly that he was indeed passed out. The feeling quickly passed and she sped up to Zelgadis's side. Lina was positive that her uneasiness would continue to decrease with each step she took away from Xellos.

* * *

Zelgadis bent next to the stream in front of her, bringing several cupfuls of water to his face. He dried off with the end of his shirt before rising and pulling out his map. He used the stream to approximate their location and estimated the distance to the next town. Zelgadis turned to Lina, intending to report the time left they would have to travel before a decent rest, but stopped when he saw that her eyes were locked down at her reflection in the water. He expected her to start belligerently talking about whatever appeared to be occupying her mind at the moment, but several minutes passed with neither of the two speaking. Zelgadis assumed, with due cause, that her brooding had to do with Xellos catching up with them. This was something that, of course, Zelgadis kept at the back of his mind, considering that Lina had not once managed to escape from Xellos for a long period of time. The two had managed to travel more than they had expected (and hopefully than Xellos had), despite their lack of energy and Zelgadis's wound. 

"Lina, don't think too much about Xellos catching up," Zelgadis said. He waited more than enough for some kind of response from his friend, but received none. "Oi, Lina." 

Lina continued to frown at the water as if its reflection of herself didn't please her. Zelgadis stood behind her, placing his hand on her shoulder. He started to speak, but Lina cut him off short. 

"I think I've got it this time," Lina said. 

"Got it?" Zelgadis repeated. He knelt beside her, meeting her reflected gaze. "Got what?" 

"Every time Xellos catches up to me—no matter how far I go or how well I hide. I thought maybe it was useless to even try anymore, but I couldn't help but think there was something I could have done to prevent him finding me. I thought this situation would turn out to be the worst case since it's likely that Xellos was only down for about a half hour, tops." 

"So you're thinking that Xellos is probably right behind us," Zelgadis said. He raised a brow when he saw that the water was showing Lina's smile. 

"Most likely right when we reach the nearest town or right after we've left it, Xellos would make his famous appearance," Lina said. "Maybe he'd even beat us to the town and just be waiting for us to show up." 

Zelgadis put a hand to his chin. "Naru hodo (I see). I thought maybe our lead was far enough to allow us to grab some supplies at a shop, but with Xellos on our trail, we shouldn't risk doing something that will let us fall into one of his traps." 

"Xellos always wins because he always does the unexpected," Lina said. Her smile grew wider. "Showing up as a judge for the beauty contest, 'saving' us from those troubles in the Houshu Forest, joining the same acting troupe as I did… There's no way someone could predict what he's going to do." 

"Yeah, but that's nothing new to figure out. We sort of knew that from the first time we met him." 

"But what if I do something he'd never figure I'd do?" Lina clenched a fist as if she already had the upper hand. 

"Like what? I doubt there's anything that a person as tricky as Xellos wouldn't have already calculated." 

Lina rose and grinned at Zelgadis's reflection. "For example, we go back in the same direction we came and head for Hadin." 

"Nani??" Zelgadis grabbed the ground in front of him before he fell forward into the stream. "Lina, what the heck are you thinking?? Isn't that exactly the last place you'd want to be??" 

"Exactly," Lina said. She dusted herself off. "Xellos knows this as well as you do—what reason would I have to go back to his town?" 

Zelgadis shook his head. "I don't understand," he said. "Eventually Xellos would return home and find you. Before that, I'm positive that his people would see you and let Xellos know the instant you set foot into the city." 

"I plan to have a much better disguise," Lina said. "One for you too. Last time I was in disguise, I was partly discovered because I was traveling with you." 

"Muri yo (It's impossible), Lina!" Zelgadis said. Too surprised by her words to take in consideration other things, he rushed over to Lina's side and made violent gestures. "Don't make reckless plans that are going to waste our efforts to get away in the first place! If you're going to do that then I—" 

Zelgadis fell to his knees and held his chest. Lina dug into her bag and pulled out another clean cloth. "Don't forget you're still injured, Zel," she said. "It's about time you redid your bandage." 

"Suman (Sorry)," Zelgadis said. He yanked off his shirt and slowly undid his makeshift bandage. "Damn Xellos. Somehow it seems that he would have a weakness somewhere. Unfortunately he has money, intelligence, and strength—a perfect monster." 

"Yeah," Lina said. She handed him the cloths, trying not to pay too much attention to his slightly reopened wound. "And to top all that, he has a lack of human emotions. There are people who have the same qualities, but possess enough heart to keep themselves from being such eyesores to humanity." 

"Maa (Well)," Zelgadis said, tying off the new bandage, "there's a possibility that he has some form of human emotions." 

"Maybe the negative emotions like hate," Lina said. She did an imitation of Xellos's usual expression. "He smiles like he doesn't have a care in the world even though he can be angry and hate-filled." 

Zelgadis replaced his shirt and returned to his feet. "I brought this up before, but don't you think it's odd that Xellos that allows this game of Kakurenbo to go on so long?" he said. "After all, someone as powerful as he could easily keep you where he wanted to, but he does everything himself." 

"Listen, Zel," Lina said, "I'm only gonna say this once and I'm not gonna say any more on the matter: a warped person like Xellos gains pleasure from taking care of this business himself. He wouldn't have nearly as much fun if he hired someone else to deliver me to him. For a person like him who gets his kicks by causing other people pain, this is a special treat for him. That's the extent of him 'enjoying my company,' as he puts it. If I didn't create so many opportunities for him to 'have fun,' he'd most likely just forget about me or have me arrested or something like that." 

"Sou (Really)?" Zelgadis said. He sighed. "All this time you've spent with Xellos, you probably know him best, I guess. Still, I can't agree with you on this decision to go back to Hadin. Sounds like another of your stupid plans." 

"You know, if I threw you into that stream right now, I doubt you'd be able to swim too well with your injury," Lina muttered. 

A barely visible sweat-drop appeared at Zelgadis's temple. "Explain how it will be successful then," he said. 

"Like I said, we retrace our steps," Lina said. "It's likely that Xellos is either slightly ahead of us or just slightly behind. If we happen to run into him, by then we should already be in disguise. Surely he would ask us whether we had seen us, and of course, we would tell him that we did in our opposite direction, maintaining our ignorance about why he was after us." 

"And you think he'd fall for that?" Zelgadis said. 

"When I dressed up a man that time, it was really the scar on my leg that made Xellos figure out who I was," he said. "If it wasn't for that stupid play, I could have slipped away." 

"Remind me to make you tell me that story later," Zelgadis said. He lightly smiled when Lina held her forehead. "Even though you had claimed you'd be fine for just a week." 

"There's a lot of stories to tell," Lina said. She glared at his smile. "It seems you have a story to tell too. I never thought Rezo would get involved in this." 

"Another heartwarming event to add to my Rezo memories," Zelgadis said, shrugging a shoulder. "I doubt Xellos will employ him for a while after his miserable failure." 

"I'm glad about that, but I can't say I'm completely relieved," Lina said. She looked up at the sky. "If we go at the speed we've been going, we can make it back to that abandoned house." 

"Abandoned house?" Zelgadis said. "What, are you planning to hide out in such an obvious place?" 

"Iie, it's because we passed through there earlier that I came up with an idea for a new disguise," Lina said. "From what we could tell, it looked like some elderly couple had lived there until they had died, right?" 

"Yeah, so what?" 

"We use what they've left behind to make up our disguises and portray ourselves in Hadin as an old woman and man. In preparation to run, I always care at least two wigs, so in that department, we're all set." 

"It's times like these that I really think I should listen to Rezo for once," Zelgadis said. "All this crazy scheming…" 

Lina smirked. "Demo you can't back out now, right?" she said. "It's no longer a matter of just helping me out." 

"You got that right," he said. He grasped the handle of his sword. "In the meantime between the next time Xellos and I fight, I'm going to at least remain the main obstacle in his plans." 

"That's the spirit!" Lina said. She raised her fist to the sky. "Let's go to Hadin!" 

Zelgadis grinned and followed Lina's confident strides. "No matter how you explain it, it still sounds weird saying that." However, for once, Zelgadis didn't find himself feeling so pessimistic about her incredible plan like he usually did. He attributed his relaxed state to one of those cases where her idea might just be crazy enough to work.

* * *

Lina set a tray with a pitcher of ale and two mugs in the middle of the table. Zelgadis poured her drink for her as she took her seat and then poured one for himself. Lina rubbed her back and commented how the "ol' body just doesn't work like it used to." Although Zelgadis thought that Lina acted a little too energetic for the age she was trying to pass off, he had a good feeling that in about forty-something years, Lina would be exactly like the old woman she was portraying. Sure she would have the look of an old woman and possibly the body, but Zelgadis doubted that even old age would slow down Lina too much. He imagined her fighting off robbers, twirling her cane around as if it were some sort of weapon. Of course, Zelgadis was the one was carried around a cane as long as he wasn't working. He had been tempted to use it as weapon himself a couple of times, unable to deal with some of the attitudes of the customers who thought they needed to either shout their orders or treat him like a senile fool. It amazed him that Lina was the one so easily adapting to the elderly persona; usually if someone treated her as if she might die any second, she simply played along with it and thanked the person for taking care of "this dear old woman." 

"Is this job merely a cover or do you think that in some time you'll get enough money to pay back Xellos?" Zelgadis said. He carefully shifted his gray beard a little to scratch underneath it before adjusting it straight again. 

Lina downed the rest of the ale, having only set her mug down once before. She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. "Are you crazy?" she said. "To raise even an eighth of what I owe him would probably take more years than we're supposed to live." 

Zelgadis refilled her cup. "So what do you intend to do?" he said. "We've been in Hadin a couple days now and so far it seems that no one has noticed it's us, but perhaps that's merely a matter of time." 

"What are you saying?" Lina said. "Didn't you used to regularly come here whenever you would spend an extended period in Hadin? I'm sure if you had walked in here as you usually are, someone would have recognized you. Anyway, we're both pretty well-known in this city, thanks to Xellos, and I doubt there are few that would keep their mouth shut about spotting us. We've been here more than enough time to be exposed." 

"Okay, so maybe we're safe at the moment," Zelgadis said, "but you can't intend to stay here forever. As you said, it would seem strange if we kept this charade up for a long time. Besides, I doubt neither of us would want to or would be able to." 

"Somehow I think that my stay with Xellos is very time-sensitive," Lina said. "Remember what I told you about overhearing his conversation with his boss? Whatever Xellos has planned for me will probably be ruined in a week or two. Even if he sees me afterwards, his boss will probably prohibit him from wasting any more time with me and tell him to concentrate on his next evil scheme." 

"You don't think that he'll just come up with something else?" Zelgadis drank while Lina shook her head. "To go through all of this trouble and just give up because time's up… What if you make an enemy of Xellos this way?" 

Lina snorted. "He's kinda already an enemy to me, isn't he?" she said. "Besides, I doubt he'd be too angry at me. Any normal person in his situation would have had been fed up with me the first time I escaped. Since he's gone along with this hiding game, then he's partially to blame for his own failure. It's people like you, Zel, the outsiders of the game who interfere with his success that cause him to take up enemies." 

Zelgadis simply drank again instead of agreeing with Lina, though it were obvious that he had no argument. Lina smiled and took a drink herself, glancing at the clock above the fireplace in the room. They had a good hour left and so far not many new people had arrived since they had gone on their break. There were always a few men gathered together laughing and talking loudly regardless of the hour, but it wouldn't be too long before the place was fairly packed of these type of happy-go-lucky drinkers. 

"Oi, baba (old woman)," Zelgadis said. 

Lina pushed up the glasses to the bridge of her nose. "Nan da, jiji (What is it, old man)?" she said. 

"You haven't forgotten that you're supposed to pay for all of my services after all this is said and done, right?" 

Lina sweat-dropped and hurriedly put her mug to her lips to prevent any immediate speech. Zelgadis waited patiently, even though she was purposely taking more time than it took to finish the contents of her cup. He folded his arms over his chest and stared at her hard. 

"Don't forget that I've sacrificed a lot for this ordeal," he reminded her. "I risked my life in that forest, had Rezo's men after me, and I've got this gash in my chest thanks to Xellos." 

Lina set down her mug and raised a finger. "Of course, I intend to pay you as soon as I deal with this Xellos business," she said. "You know I wouldn't forget about my best chum." 

Her laughter didn't convince Zelgadis very much. "You're lucky I don't ask Xellos for money in return for turning you in." 

"There's no way you'd do something that terrible." Lina felt sweat slipping from underneath her curly gray wig. "Zel?" 

Zelgadis looked up at the wooden ceiling. "Saa (I wonder)…" 

Lina grabbed his arm from across the table. "Jiisan (Grandpa), don't be so cold!" she said in her best elderly voice. "How can you abandon your wife at this old age??" 

"Ya…Yamero (St…Stop that), you idiot!" Zelgadis said. He tried to shake her loose as some of those drinking nearby took a glance at them. 

"Yada (No), jiisan!" Lina turned on the fake tears and buried her head into his arm. "Don't leave me alone!" 

"Urusai (Shut up)!" Zelgadis said. "I was just joking before—let me go!" 

"Really, jiisan?" Lina said, going into sniffles. "You won't let such a horrible thing happen to me?" 

"No, I'm sure that something horrible will happen to you without my intervention," Zelgadis muttered. "Now will you cut it out??" 

Lina released him and clasped her hands together. "Don't scare me like that, jiisan," she said. "You know I have a bad heart." 

"Bad other things too," Zelgadis said. He finished his drink and instantly filled up his cup. "Not that we have a little free time, why don't you tell me some more about that trip you and Xellos took that ended with you being chained next to him. Should be as entertaining as that story from Bravo." 

"Yeah…we'll need a bottle of something stronger stuff for that story," Lina said. She rose and went over to the bar to fetch something of that quality. 

Zelgadis smiled and took a moderate drink from his mug. _Get her into a story about Xellos and she completely forgets about having to work again in about an hour,_ he thought. 

"Oi, baachan (grandma)," a man said, waving a mug in the air. "Can we get some more over here? Me and my buddies wanna keep the flow going!" 

"Hai, hai (Yes, yes)," Lina said, rushing over with three more bottles of their choice. She collected the empty bottles and pretended to enjoy their drunken banter. "My, you young fellows sure can drink a lot." 

"You got that right!" one of them said, popping open a bottle and chugging from it. 

The third of the bunch tugged at her the side of her dress. "Na (Say), baachan, why don't you join us?" he slurred. "I saw ya downing the stuff like water earlier." 

"No, no," Lina laughed, "That was just mineral water. I have a bad liver so I can't handle any real alcohol…but I sure like to pretend!" 

The men all commented that she sure was lively old woman and hoped she'd be around for a while to serve them. Zelgadis passed by Lina on her way back to the bar counter and cleared his throat to get her attention. Lina stopped and turned in his direction. 

"Mineral water, huh?" Zelgadis said. He delivered drinks to a couple. "Baasan (Grandma) sure is a great actor. You'd think she spent time in Bravo or something." The two at the table commented Lina was pretty weird and Zelgadis agreed without a second thought. 

"Korosu (Gonna kill you)…" Lina said. She only had a few seconds to fume before someone banged their fists on the counter, complaining for service. She quickly shuffled over and replaced her glower with a smile. "What can I get for ya, young man?" 

"Yeah, we'll have a bottle of the least expensive stuff here," a man with most of his face hidden by his face said. "And can you move it along, baba (old woman)—we don't have all night." 

"Na (Wha)…" Lina said. She ground her teeth. "Yes, I'll be sure to—" 

Zelgadis place his hand on her shoulder, bringing Lina's attention to the fact that he was there. "Don't worry about, baasan here," he said. "She may look old, but she can move like she was twenty-something again." 

Lina growled something incoherent before going to the shelves of bottles. "Who the hell do those bastards think they are?" she said. "I ought to spit in their drinks." 

"Most likely they're bounty hunters," Zelgadis whispered. 

"Ee (Huh)? Really?" She shot a quick glance at them. "Yeah, now that you mention it…" 

"That's one of the reasons I suggested we get a job here," Zelgadis said. "During that time Xellos wouldn't let me into his house, I went here often to confirm that you were actually with him. It's a good place to hear gossip about Xellos. Any time I spent here, I was clearly being watched by whom I guessed were some of Xellos's subordinates. I wondered why they didn't try to take me out, but after the incident with Rezo, it makes sense that I was only monitored." 

"Naru hodo (I see)," Lina said. She walked back over to give the men the bottle and glasses. "Hai, douzo (Here you go). Please enjoy your drinks." 

Neither man looked at her to acknowledge her presence, but the second man took the bottle and poured the two of them drinks. Lina made a crooked smile and slowly turned back, anticipating to serve someone less annoying. Catching a word of their conversation, she stopped short and bent down as if looking for something in the lower front shelves. 

"…should pop up sooner or later," the first man said. "According to Rezo he was here before snooping around in the business of that rich guy." 

"Yeah…uh…Metal-something. It's a sure thing that we're gonna get paid dearly for this job if these two rich guys are involved." 

"Good point. Maybe it's best to simply hold the guy hostage and see which one will pay the most for his death." 

"Sounds good." 

Lina inched away from the two men until she bumped into Zelgadis's feet. He gave her a curious look, wondering why she was crouched down like that. When he questioned her, she simply shushed him and beckoned him to come down to her. 

"What the hell are you doing?" 

Lina frowned. "Looks like you're the target of those two bounty hunters." 

"Really?" Zelgadis's face remained blank for a second or two until he smirked. "Mattaku (Honestly), I guess I shouldn't have expected Rezo to forget about me so easily after getting in the way of what Xellos would have paid him." 

"Uhn (Yeah), so we should—" 

"What's going on in this joint?? I need a drink over here!!" 

Lina and Zelgadis rose simultaneously and in unison said, "Hai, coming right away!" In reality, however, it was Zelgadis who went off to tend to the customers while Lina remained in place. Before he left, he gave a slight nod to Lina to acknowledge he understood what she had been trying to say before. In the meantime, Lina stuck close to the bounty hunters, but not close enough to make it obvious that she was keeping an eye on them. Zelgadis kept the customers at the tables content, enabling Lina to relatively stay in the same spot as she wiped off the counter and randomly chatted with whomever was near her at the moment. From the bits and pieces she could pick up from the two's hushed conversation, neither was planning to leave the city until either Zelgadis showed up or the reward for his head was taken away. Lina doubted that Rezo was going to give up by the time Lina assumed it would be safe to reveal herself in the city again, so it was reasonable to assume that Zelgadis would be in trouble as soon as Lina's was over. Not that she thought the two would be able to do much to her friend after she heard of the near two days of repeated attempts on his life Zelgadis endured on his way out of Charmin. Still the two nosing around for Zelgadis could provoke him to go after them and reveal his true identity. Lina couldn't very well let that happen, but to prevent it, she and Zelgadis would have to figure out a way to get rid of them without breaking their cover. 

Lina was distracted from the two's conversation when Zelgadis returned to the counter and motioned her over. Upon closer inspection, she noticed that he was cupping a small vial in his hand. She instantly guessed what it was, but that didn't stop her from asking anyway. 

"Zel, that can't possibly be…" 

"Shikata nai darou (We've got no choice, right)?" Zelgadis pulled out the top, a few drops of the liquid falling back into the bottle. "Just a little bit of this and—" 

"Kotowaru (Nothing doing)!" Lina said. She forced his hand down until the vial was closed again. "Listen, I've had enough of this stuff when I was with Xellos at his bakery! So just forget about it!" 

"I don't like it too much either, but like I said, we don't have much of a choice," Zelgadis said, struggling with her to completely grasp the vial. "Or do you really want to jeopardize our cover??" 

"No, but there's gotta be a better way than this!" 

"Even if we beat them up, they could eventually come back and reveal who we are!" 

Lina and Zelgadis continued to spew arguments back and forth, both in the meantime trying to get the vial out of the other's hand. Those at the counter, not able to understand their bickering assumed the two were having some age-old dispute they had been having for several years. Some people laughed and cheered for either "jiichan" or "baachan," but neither Zelgadis nor Lina was paying much attention to anything besides their own struggle. Had they done so they might have seen the irony of their fight to protect their identities in the mists of acting so suspicious. 

"Oi, old people!" 

"Stop being so stubborn!" Zelgadis said, having heard nothing of the previous voice. 

"You too!" Lina said, equally deaf to all others. 

"Oi!!" 

Lina and Zelgadis let go of the vial at the same time, it shattering on the floor. They stared down at the puddle before them, exchanging embarrassed looks before mouthing apologies to each other. The same people who had been cheering for them were now laughing at the conclusion of the fight. Some expressed disappointment and had hoped they would have seen some old people fight. Lina grabbed a rag and bent down to clean up the mess, while Zelgadis looked around for the person whose shouting had interrupted their squabble. 

"Hai? Did someone need service?" Zelgadis said, among the laughter and loud comments. 

"Yeah, me." 

Lina rose after noticing Zelgadis hadn't moved since he'd confirmed who wanted something. "Nani?" she asked, looking past his shoulder. 

"Maybe they realized who we were," Zelgadis whispered. 

"Dare (Who)?" 

"_Them_. The guys after me." 

"Oh, crap—they saw the vial??" 

"Saa (Who knows)." 

"We ought to—" 

"Are we gonna get one of you fossils over here or do we have to come over there??" 

Zelgadis cleared his throat and approached them, Lina sticking close to the counter where Zelgadis had left his sword wrapped up in a cloth. "What can I get you boys now?" he said. 

The one with the hat adjusted it so that his face could be better seen. "We're looking for a friend of ours and we wondered if you or your wife had seen him," he said. 

Lina backed away from her friend's weapon and released a breath. _Phew,_ she thought. 

"Maybe," Zelgadis said. He scratched at his wig. "Many a fellow comes through here, ya know." 

"He's about medium-height," the other said, "with an odd hair color. Kinda blue, kinda purple. Wears a beige outfit and carries a sword." 

_Odd, huh?_ Zelgadis thought. He maintained a smile. "I'm sorry, boys, haven't seen such a gentleman." 

"You sure, jiji (old man)?" the first asked. He narrowed his eyes at Zelgadis. "You're not hiding anything, are you?" 

"Well, you know, the old memory ain't what it used to be," Zelgadis said. He turned slightly and smiled to Lina at his back. 

"Heh, all right, then," the second said, appearing to hold the first back. "Well, let us know if you do see anyone that faintly matches that description." 

Lina gripped Zelgadis's shoulder from behind. _Like we'd tell you bastards anything!_ she silently yelled. 

The second man nudged the man with a hat until he pulled out a small pouch and threw it on the counter surface. "Mochiron (Of course), we'll pay for you to keep an eye out," the second said. "We'll be in town for a while, so…" 

"We appreciate the compensation, but—" Zelgadis began. 

"Of course, we'll make sure we let you know as soon as we see this man," Lina said, snatching the money. Her smile was a little overwhelming for all those involved, even the hunters. "Let us know if there's anything else we can do for you lovely two boys." 

Zelgadis merely held his forehead. "Guess it doesn't matter," he muttered to himself. "As long as it's in agreement with our plan, no harm done…" 

"Uh…" the man with the hat said, still a little surprised by Lina's willingness to help. "Yeah, if you do happen to see him, try to keep him around for as long as you can." 

Zelgadis nodded, while Lina stood behind him preoccupied with counting the money. "Gotcha," he said. The two bounty hunters nodded to him and Zelgadis returned to the front of the bar counter beside Lina. 

Lina giggled like a girl who had just gotten her allowance. "Lucky!" she said. She smiled to Zelgadis who idly wiped the counter. "Ne (Say), let's go to that seafood place on the east side after work. I heard they even get crab imported over there sometimes from the coastal cities. That would really hit the spot!" 

"I'm glad you can be so carefree, despite my life being targeted and while pretending to be an old woman," Zelgadis said, not meeting her gaze. 

"Nan da yo (What)?" Lina said. She smacked him on the back. "The plan's going great, we have nothing to worry about those bounty hunters anyway, and we just got a nice bonus! There's barely a reason to be down." 

"For the moment." Zelgadis set aside the rag and turned to get the broom. 

"Ah, sou ka (is that right)?" Lina said. She pocketed the pouch of money and turned her gaze to the ceiling. "I guess if you're going to be that pessimistic, you don't want to join me for that late dinner. Zan'nen (Too bad), I heard that for shrimp alone they have fifteen different dishes. I remember how much you used to like it and how rare it is to get seafood here in Hadin, but I guess—" 

Lina looked down as Zelgadis put his hand on her shoulder, small sweat-drop on the side of his head. "Perhaps I _have_ been a little on the negative side," he said. "It's just my nature—you know that." 

"Sou (Really)?" Lina said. "So then later on—" 

"If you try to eat without me, I won't forgive you." 

Lina smacked him on the back again, nearly knocking the broom out of his hand. "Now that's the spirit, jiji (old man)!" she laughed. 

Zelgadis straightened himself and coughed a few times. "It's a wonder how anyone believes your disguise…" he said, his voice lost in her laughter. He thought to repeat himself when she quieted down, but unfortunately he was required to serve some more customers and left the sweeping for Lina to do. Even doing such a menial task did not calm her down; Zelgadis only witnessed her good mood and excitement rise as their shift neared its end and they were free to enjoy the rest of the night as they pleased.

* * *

The bed shook as Lina fell backwards onto it. She made a satisfied sigh and rested her hands on her stomach, commenting that she hadn't had such a good meal in a long time. Zelgadis, beside her, simply smiled, and patiently waited for her to blow out the candle. Lina rolled onto her side so that she was facing him and returned the smile. She could tell by the way he was returning her gaze that he had something on his mind. Lina rested her chin on her hand and lifted a brow, though still keeping her smile. 

"Nani (What)?" 

"Iya (Well), I don't know how effective it will be to have this conversation with you while you're stuffed with food and high on wine." 

"Come on, come on," Lina said. She half-closed her eyes. "If you have something to say you better get on with it now. I could fall asleep any moment." 

Zelgadis smirked. "Sou (Right)," he said. "Tomorrow when we go back to being 'ojiisan' and 'obaasan,' I won't have such an opportunity. Somehow you'll find a way to back out." 

"Ee (Huh)?" Lina shifted her head in her hand. "Nan da (What's this)? Did you have a little too much to drink too?" 

Zelgadis slid closer to Lina, firmly placing one hand on her back and the other at her right shoulder. "Sate (Now then), I don't think you can move away so easily in this position," he said. When Lina showed significant confusion, he grinned. "This time I won't let you worm your way out." 

"Na…nani…" Lina said, her words fading away as her thoughts raced. _Zel couldn't be trying to…_ she thought. _Masaka (No way)! This is Zelgadis, not Xellos. I've shared a bed with Zelgadis on several times, so now why would he…_

"Zel…why are you so serious all of a sudden?" Lina said. She might have wiped the sweat from her face if Zelgadis's arm hadn't had her left arm trapped. "What's…what's on your mind?" 

"Heh, always trying to play so innocent," Zelgadis said. "Like you don't have an idea. Or I should say that you ought to have an idea." 

_My ideas are what worry me…_ Lina thought, refusing to verbalizing any of them. "Zel, I really…really…don't know—" 

Zelgadis frowned a little as he drew his face in closer to hers. "Don't tell me not once while you were with Xellos—" 

"Nani (What)!" Lina said, her face practically glowing in the dark room. "What the hell are you assuming??" She swallowed and inched back only so slightly. _Does he think that just because Xellos is so lecherous, I would have so easily lost my virginity to him?? _she thought, breathing more heavily than she would have liked. _And even if that was true, why would Zel think that it gives him to right to—_

"Hmph, I knew it," Zelgadis said. He shook his head twice. "Not once." 

"Why do you sound so disappointed?" Lina said, sweat-dropping. She tried to dissolve her grimace into a frown. "What's it to you if I didn't?" 

"What's it to _me_?" Zelgadis repeated. He raised the hand on her back to her nape. "Do you seriously think you can make me go through all of this and not compensate me?? Fuzakeru yo (Don't shit with me)!" 

Lina's eyes grew wide. "Na (Wha)…" She was certain that if anything did happen within the next few minutes, her body wouldn't be able to overcome her sudden paralysis. _So this is what Zel is settling for?? But then again, I was trying to weasel out of paying him… No! What the hell am I thinking?? Even if it's Zel, I can't…I couldn't…_

"Che (Shit), then again, what should I expect from Lina Inverse," Zelgadis said. He removed his hand from her neck and waved it carelessly. "Of course not once did you—" 

"Dakara (So) why do you—" 

"—think of a way to pay me back." 

"Of course I didn't!" Lina said. It took her a few seconds to realize what Zelgadis had said. "Wait—what did you say?" 

"What? Are you saying that I'm wrong?" Zelgadis said. He folded his arms behind his head and stared absently up at the ceiling. "Don't try to convince me now that you had a 'plan.'" 

Lina decided to keep quiet until she had everything thought. _Okay, so is this what Zel was talking about for the beginning?_ she wondered. _Yeah, that does make more sense. I have been using our situation to my advantage…not letting him talk for very long about repaying him. So, of course, he would try to corner me here and force me to tell him the details… Shimatta (Crap)! Now he definitely won't believe any of my lies after what I said. Damnit! I had to jump to the conclusion that he was gonna… All that damn time with Xellos is still affecting my mind._

"Well?" He rolled his eyes on his friend. "Li…" He sweat-dropped as he noticed she was on her back, eyes closed, and well-paced breathing. "Omae (You)… You think I'd believe you'd fall asleep so quickly??" 

_I'm absolutely not opening my eyes,_ Lina thought, perfectly mimicking sleep. She had trouble when Zelgadis began shaking her. 

"Running away again?? Wake up, you, damnit!" 

Zelgadis continued to shake Lina to point she was almost going to admit defeat. However, he eventually relented and set her back down on the bed. Lina knew well that if she wanted to avoid talking about the taboo subject, she would have to continue playing asleep until she really did fall asleep or either until Zelgadis went to sleep himself. Just as she was figuring that she would have to simply keep it up for thirty more minutes, she felt Zelgadis's fingers at her side. She instantly figured what he was going to do, but she knew that she would have little recourse to stop him. Knowing that, Lina opened her eyes suddenly. 

"Ze—" 

That was as far as Lina got before she broke out into laughter from the tickling. Among her chuckles she repeatedly confirmed that Zelgadis had won, but he didn't stop until she was in tears. "Why do you live to make a fool out of me?" he asked. 

Lina finished her final laugh. "I just had to have a friend who is as stubborn as I am," she said. 

"Of course," Zelgadis said. He sat Indian-style in the bed. "So what do you plan to do?" 

Lina sighed. "All right, all right, I'll get a plan," she said. She held up her hand as if under oath. "I promise that within two days, I'll have an idea of how I'll get the money to pay you back." 

"Knowing you, we should go an extra step and having it in writing and sealed with blood." 

"Baka (Fool)." Lina hit him with a pillow. "I'm not that distrustful." 

"Sou (Really)?" Lina smiled, mirroring her friend's current expression. "Okay, so I'm not the most reliable person—so sue me." When Zelgadis commented he would if he could, Lina stuck her tongue out at him and then hit him with the pillow again. However, she hadn't known that the first hit was free and the next one was war. Their previous heavy meal gave them the energy to continue the soft fight well close to dawn. 

**Next part:** Lina implements her plan to repay back Zelgadis, which leds to an unwanted encounter. Lina begins to think differently about Xellos and makes a wild decision that ends the Kakurenbo game. Read on to find out how!


	12. Kanpai! Part Two

Author's Notes: Yeah, if you were anticipating a guest appearance like the other chapters in this part....well, there's none. I was going to make one of the bounty hunters one, but I changed my mind. Points if you can guess who I had in mind for the hunters. Anyway, enjoy part two! 

**Chapter Nine: Kanpai!, Part Two**

The man across Lina shakily set his shot glass back down on the table, catching his breath loudly. The way he clutched his head made it seem as though that was the only reason his head hadn't slammed against the table. Some of the people circled around encouraged him to hold on to the end, while the others cheered for "baachan" to hurry up and finish her obvious victory. Zelgadis, like the other nights since these competitions had begun, merely refilled their glasses and disposed and replaced empty bottles. Lina downed her drink like it was water, shrugging at her opponent's angry stare. She motioned for him to continue, and he hesitantly lifted the glass to his lips. Those in the background started chanting for him to drink, while Lina grinned like a fox. She figured even if he could get the next one down, he'd never make it after the other. The shouting became quite loud after the man had been holding his drink for over a minute without drinking a drop. The man cursed and sloppily poured the tan liquid down his throat, much of it dripping down the sides of his mouth. He lost grip of the glass not inches before he was about to lay it back down. It tipped over and rolled to the edge of the table. He made a final curse before his chin dropped down on the table. Officially he never admitted defeat, but all those clapping and laughing at the sight were convinced that the winner was at that moment, undoubtedly, the old woman. 

Lina pulled the pile of money to her end of the table, letting the coins fall down into her lap. "I guess that's my second win for the night," she said, barely with any of the elation she had hidden. She was humble in her applauds and pretended to be at her limit. "If there are no other challengers, I think I'll join my husband back at work." 

"You're amazing, obaachan (granny)!" one man commented. "You haven't been beaten yet! Keep up the good work!" 

Lina waved her hands. "Oh, no, I'm sure if I keep up with this, it's going to catch up to the ol' body, you know," she said. She collected all of her winnings into a pouch, while Zelgadis cleared off the table. The crowd began to disperse, some leaving the tavern and promising to come again to see her defeat another challenger. The others remained, gathering at various tables to enjoy beverages and food. Two friends of the defeated man helped carry him off outside so that he could get some fresh air to clear his head. 

The owner patted Lina on the shoulder when she headed back to the counter. "You're pretty good at bringing in customers," he said. "I never thought an old woman could be such an asset to this place." 

"Well, I gotta make myself useful as I can in my final days," Lina said. She and the bald owner laughed as if being at an age close to death was a joke. "I'm just glad I can somehow repay your kindness for both hiring me and my husband and finding us shelter." 

"Seems like doing the 'right' thing really paid off," the owner said. "Even though Metallium-sama kinda frowns on that…" Lina bit her tongue to prevent any suspicious response to that comment. 

The bar owner reminded them of a few things to do before locking up before he called it an early night. Lina soon joined Zelgadis who was washing a few glasses, nudging him lightly. He didn't meet her glance, pretending to be preoccupied with the task in front of him. Lina didn't mind too much and idly dried some of the mugs he had finished washing. 

"See, everything's going great, Zel," she said. "It won't be long before I have your money at this rate." She snickered to herself. "And you thought I wouldn't come through for you." 

"I never expected this would be your great plan," Zelgadis said. He passed her a dripping plate. "With only two days to work with I was sure it wasn't going to be anything brilliant, but this…" 

"As long as you get your money back, do my methods really matter?" Lina said. "Anyway, this is bringing in much more money than I thought it would. Today I got half a thousand today." 

Zelgadis exhaled. "Somehow I'd feel better about all this if you were earning money in a more honest way," he said. "There's a possibility that you could lose money in all this gambling." 

"Masaka (No way)," Lina said. "I'm a pretty good drinker and the fact that everyone thinks I'm an old woman is a huge advantage. Anyway, you say stuff like that now, but when I get you your money, then you'll say, 'good plan, Lina.'" 

"Those are the last words that would come out of my mouth…" 

"You say something?" 

Zelgadis passed her the last clean dish and shook his head. "I'm just mumbling to myself," he said. 

"Sou ka (I see)." Lina finished drying the glass and set it with the other dry ones. "When you get to be your age, you tend to mumble a lot to yourself, ne, jiji (old man)?" 

"I won't say what tends to happen when people get _your_ age, baba (old woman)." Before Lina could ask what he shook off a wet hand in her direction, spraying a little water on her. "I think those people near the back window need some service—get to it." 

Lina grumbled about him ordering him around, but left regardless of her complaints about his attitude and the fact that he had flung water all over her. Zelgadis smiled and assisted those that were at the bar counter for the time being. In reality he didn't think that Lina's repayment plan was one of her bad ones, albeit it had the potential to make them seem less incognito, but for some reason he had a habit of always criticizing Lina's schemes unless by some kind of miracle they were incredibly ingenious. Chances were pretty good that no one, most importantly Xellos, had figured out that they were hiding out at the tavern. Despite Zelgadis's fair confidence that they had succeeded in concealing their true identities, there was still the matter of the bounty hunters. Starting from the first time they had seen the two assassins three days ago, they had been back every day to question about seeing Zelgadis. Zelgadis wasn't sure if they were just suspicious that he and Lina were hiding information or if the two men had an idea that Zelgadis really wasn't what he seemed to be. The only reason Zelgadis hadn't acted to make sure they didn't return was simply because Lina had made it clear it was too dangerous. Surely if two bounty hunters go missing or give up, Zelgadis's uncle would send more to come after him if the blind businessman hadn't done so already. Zelgadis didn't see much harm in that, doubting that the others would be likely to come around to the tavern, but Lina's argument that of course they would if that was where the two bounty hunters were last seen made Zelgadis hold back on any offensive action. 

Zelgadis filled the cups of said bounty hunters, holding back a grin. "I'm terribly sorry that the person you've been looking for hasn't passed through here," he said. "Perhaps you've mistaken that he's in the area." It was harder to keep his grin hidden when Hat Hunter, as Zelgadis had begun to name the anonymous bounty with the hat, narrowed his eyes at him. 

"Heh, you're quick to discourage us, huh, jiji?" Hat Hunter said. 

The other, whom Zelgadis had nicknamed the "Hatless One," snorted and folded his arm over his chest. "We've been getting the feeling that you might be hiding something. It's very important that we find our little friend, you see." 

"Wakatta yo (I get ya)," Zelgadis said. He sighed and took off his glasses, cleaning them only to express his boredom. "That's what you've been saying for the past three days." He lost grip of his spectacles as the Hat Hunter suddenly reached out for Zelgadis's collar and pulled him forward. 

"Kono kuso jiji (You shitty old man)!" he said. "If you're that impatient to meet the grim reaper, I'll speed it up a few days for ya!" 

Zelgadis, though surprised that his little comment had caused such a reaction, nonetheless remained calm. He couldn't afford to blow his cover, nor attack someone who was armed while he was not. Besides those reasons, Zelgadis had a job to do and wasn't about to risk messing it up by risking injury. To prevent the man from getting angrier, Zelgadis feigned fear instead, which seemed to be at least successful in stopping the aggression from going any further for the moment. 

"I don't think you really realize who you're talking to," the Hatless One said. He pulled back his cloak a little to reveal the hilt of a hidden sword. "This is a matter of life and death here." 

"Yeah, your life might depend on how much information you supply us with," Hat Hunter said. 

Zelgadis closed his eyes in what seemed to be to the hunters an expression of anxiety. Rather, he was coolly thinking out his options at the moment. The best seemed to be act though he was incredibly threatened and possibly spew out some lies about the whereabouts of himself. Then again, if he did such a thing, they would surely check out his information and then return to hassle him and Lina once again. Zelgadis began to think of another plan when he heard Lina frantically asking the hunters what they were doing with him. Opening his eyes, he saw that her put-on expression was much more concerned than she actually was for him. 

"We think your husband here is hiding information about our friend," the Hat Hunter said. He shook Zelgadis. "Right, jiji (old man)?" 

Zelgadis glanced at Lina for a non-verbal suggestion on what to do. She shook her head, so he took it that she wanted him to do nothing for the moment. He remained silent and appeared as though he was deeply troubled by the whole matter. 

"There's no need to resort to violence," Lina said. She hobbled over to Zelgadis and held onto his left shoulder as if to support him if the Hat Hunter decided to throw Zelgadis backwards. "We're simply trying to earn some money here so that we can enjoy the last few years of our lives. We don't want any trouble." 

"Well, we're not completely convinced you two don't know anything," Hat Hunter said. 

Lina, her hands hidden by the high counter, passed Zelgadis his sword from the shelf. "Like I said, we don't want any trouble," she repeated. "Anata (Dear), why don't you take these two gentlemen outside and continue this conversation? It's not safe to speak here inside." 

Zelgadis, though not passing the sword back to her, blinked. "I thought we weren't going to talk about what we knew," he said. "Thought it was too dangerous." 

Lina did a good imitation of an old woman's chuckle. "If this keeps up, these two boys will become irritated with us anyway," she said. "We can't ignore them anymore. It wouldn't be polite." 

"So, you plan to tell us what you know?" the Hatless One said. When Lina nodded he smirked. "Very well. Let him go." 

The Hat Hunter released his grip and rose from his seat. "All right, let's go, jiji (old man)," he said. 

Zelgadis motioned to the door toward behind the bar counter that led outside. "This way, please," he said. He let the two go out first and then turned to Lina. "Are you positive?" 

"Of course," she said. "If we let them disappear, we can start a rumor that they discovered a tip that you're hiding in some place that send others who might be spying here on the wrong trail. It's a good opportunity we should take advantage of." 

"That might work," Zelgadis admitted. He hid his sword under his shirt. "Even if it doesn't, it's been too many days since I've carried my sword. I don't want to miss out of this opportunity." 

Lina patted him on the back. "Go get 'em, anata (dear)!" 

"Aa (Right)—I'll be back soon." The smile on Zelgadis's face as he exited gave Lina the impression that he would go out of his way to do more than only what was necessary to "get the job done." 

Realizing that Zelgadis would gone for at a least half an hour, considering he would take his time to fix their bounty hunter problem because he hadn't been able to wield a weapon for several days, Lina did her best to cover her friend's absence. Now being the only person running the fairly occupied tavern, she had even less time to loiter about. She minded the work much less than she might had earlier on the job when she cringed at the thought of having to serve other people. It wasn't as though she had finally taken a liking to serving other people, it was just that she didn't really mind the drunken happy-go-lucky people that gathered in the establishment as much as she had thought she would. Most of them were pretty simple to please once they had enough alcohol in them; the others who made annoyances of themselves were easily disposed of. Usually, Lina would have to show her unusual strength for an old woman by tossing some unruly person out of the bar, but sometimes she'd show meekness and have some customer help her dispose of the unwanted drinker. That night was pretty tame and thus far Lina had not the need to throw anyone out. Truth be told, until Zelgadis returned, she didn't really have the time. She hoped that no one would get agitated for the short time her friend was busy, but Lina kept herself on her toes for any surprises. Even so, she could not prepare herself for all unexpected events. 

"Damnit, someone just had to order this stuff…" Lina grumbled, reaching for a distant bottle on the bottom shelf of the bar counter. It was a pretty rare wine, not a very tasty liquid to most people, and it had been placed in a corner that Lina had a little difficult reaching. In her concentration to get the bottle, she didn't take too much notice to the increased noise in the room. A few surprised gasps and comments caught her ear, but even those were second to Lina's task of reaching the bottle. Once her fingers wrapped around it and she finally yanked it out of its place, Lina then listened a little to the buzz of the room while she replaced the bottles that had been in the way. 

"I would never imagined to see him in a place like this…" some man said. 

"Demo (But) it's not that weird, right?" another man said. "After all, he ought to come every once in a while. Just to make sure things are going okay." 

"I've never seen him so close…" yet another said. "Is he really the guy?" 

Lina raised a brow and held her back as she stood straight. "What the heck is all the noise for?" she said. She scanned the area, looking for anything strange, but didn't see anything or anyone. Lina wasn't a true resident of Hadin, so she wasn't familiar with all the locals who might be important in the city. 

Deciding whatever the big deal wasn't something she needed to get in the way of her work, she delivered the bottle of wine to the customer and then traveled on to others. Just when had a second to lean against the side of an empty table and think that Zelgadis should have been done by that time, some of the customers' surprised comments caught her attention again. 

"You don't really expect the rich to hang out in places like this," some said. 

"Hey, everyone's gotta drink somewhere, right?" 

"But he's supposed to be a little weird anyhow. That's why he's nicknamed 'mysterious' or something, isn't it?" 

Lina inhaled a breath. _Don't look behind you, Lina,_ she thought. _Just go back up to the bar counter and make sure that couple sitting on the right side doesn't need a refill. Yes, that's exactly what you should do._

Lina was proud of the way she starting heading for the bar, yet she barely made it past another table. "Sumimasen, obaasan (Excuse me, old lady)," she heard a voice behind her say. "Could I have you over here for just a minute?" 

_Run!_ Lina thought. She shook her head, ignoring her first thought. _No. Lina, this time it's not possible. He wouldn't wait this long and there's no way he just figured it out. Just go over there and be calm. Nothing's wrong. Just keep up the act and you're good._

Lina slowly made her way to a table that she hadn't noticed, due to the fact that there were several other tables around it with people and it was in front of a rather large support beam that was in the center of the room. "Yes, young man," she said. She was commanding her body not to shake, but she couldn't tell if it was listening to her. "What can I do for you this evening?" 

"If it's not too much trouble, I'd like you to sit here for a moment." He motioned to one of the empty chairs. 

Lina thought she could manage some nonchalant laughter, but she quickly muffled herself when she heard how uneven and unnatural it sounded. She collected herself and spoke more comfortably. "My husband is currently taking a little break, so at the moment, I have the responsibility to tend to all the customers," she said. "As tempting as it is to sit with you, I'm afraid I cannot, therefore." 

"I think it will be all right for a minute or two," he said. "Besides, I'm the real owner of this lovely little place, and it has only been recently that I heard that two new people have been employed here." 

"Nothing escapes your ear, does it, Metallium-san," Lina said, beginning to frown. 

"Oya (Oh), you've heard of me?" Xellos said. 

Lina coughed. "This is Hadin, after all," she said. She wasn't sure whether or not Xellos was doing as he always did—pretended to be fooled by her disguise—or truly was in the dark about her whereabouts, but Lina couldn't risk to reveal herself, as always, either way. If she was revealed, she could always have Zelgadis back her up and make a quick escape. "Who does not know of you in this town?" 

Xellos motioned again for her to sit, which Lina finally did in resolution to not throw in the towel just yet. "That's true enough," he said, "even though I believe you and your husband are from out of town?" 

"Yes…" Lina said. She tried to casually look behind her for any sign of Zelgadis. "The two of us finally decided we should settle down a little after traveling so much. We were quite fortunate to get a job in your tavern." 

"Iie (No), don't mention it," Xellos said. He put a hand to his chin and widened his smile. "The truth is that I didn't simply come to have a drink and check out the new employees." 

_Ah, time already?_ Lina thought. She gripped the side of her dress where she had concealed a short sword. _Xellos's staff is on the floor at the moment. I'll have a few seconds to take the initiative and buy me some time to run off._

"I've heard rumors that an old woman was beating several men in a drinking contest." 

Lina blinked. "Ee (Huh)?" 

"Mochiron (Of course), I thought I'd inspect that for myself," Xellos said. "According to the manager here, it brings in quite a bit of customers, if not only to view something of interest." 

_I'd like to think it was coincidence that the owner—who I guess now I know is the manager—saying the same thing to me earlier was coincidence…but not when Xellos is concerned,_ she thought. 

"Tanoshisou da ne (Seems like fun)," Xellos said. He placed some money on the table. "Might I have the pleasure of being your next challenger?" 

"Na (Wha)—" Before Lina could even think about what him challenging her was supposed to mean, the nearby comments of those who had heard Xellos's offer interrupted her reflection upon the matter. Lina was fairly sure she didn't even want to risk going into contest with him, yet already people were cheering her to do her best and remarking that it was going to be an interesting competition. Her first instinct was to calm down the crowds who already assumed she would accept, but that proved to be useless. 

"Nani (What)? You're already giving up, baachan (granny)?" 

"Just because he's Metallium-san, doesn't mean you don't have a chance!" 

"Go, baasan (grandma)!" 

"Uh, could you all wait a minute—" Lina tried to say. 

"Yes, certainly don't be intimidated," Xellos said. "It's just a friendly game, is it not?" 

Lina rolled her eyes at the floor, hoping to miss Xellos's glance. "Friendly game, huh?" she muttered. "Seems like I've heard that one before." 

"Come again?" 

"Iie, nothing." She rose from the chair and held her back, which she purposely curved. "I'm truly sorry, Metallium-san, but I will have to decline. At any rate, I need my husband for support, and as you can see he's nowhere to be found at the moment." 

"Sou (Really)?" Xellos said. He pointed behind her. "Might the elderly gentleman over there be your husband?" 

Lina turned back and saw Zelgadis trying to be inconspicuous as he bent down behind the bar counter, most likely returning his sword, and then went to wash his hands. She watched her friend for a few seconds, wondering if this was something she could use to her advantage or whether his appearance was going to make her have to deal with Xellos anyway. Lina faced Xellos again, having much difficulty not showing a nasty expression. 

"He is the one you speak of, yes?" Xellos asked. "Why don't you have him come over?" 

Lina smiled while the others around them questioned why she was being so hesitant. "Would you all please wait just a minute?" she said. "I'm not allowed to act without the permission of my husband. He was quite worried that I had drank too much during my earlier competition. If you'll excuse me for a moment." 

"Of course," Xellos said. He smiled as if he already knew what the conclusion would be. "I'll be right here waiting." 

"Wonderful," Lina said. It sounded only half as sarcastic as she truly felt. 

Lina knew that regardless of how well Xellos could see him from his location, he would definitely be monitoring her actions. Therefore, she approached Zelgadis as though nothing were out of the ordinary. He grinned at her and gave her a thumbs up. Despite the appearance of Zelgadis, she couldn't help but return the expression. 

"Problem solved, huh?" Lina said. 

"Seems like it," Zelgadis said. He tossed a rag over his shoulder. "We won't be having any trouble from those two from now on." 

"Sounds good," Lina said, nodding. She leaned against the edge of the counter, her back to everyone but him. "But I don't think we've taken care of all of our problems." 

"Why's that?" He rested his hand on the side of his face. "Don't tell you've gotten yourself into trouble during the short time I was gone." 

"Something like that." She let out a breath. "When I tell you, you gotta show absolutely no sign of surprise or alarm." 

Zelgadis folded his arms over his chest. "All right. Let's hear it." 

"Xellos is sitting at a table in the back and expects me to come back in a minute to play that drinking game with him." Lina stared at Zelgadis for about ten seconds before she let out laugh. "Wow, you really are taking this well." 

"That's only because you gave me a heads-up," Zelgadis said. "If you hadn't, I'd probably done something typical like say his name really loudly and then immediately looked for his table." 

"Okay," Lina said. She put her hand on her hip. "So what do you think? If it's one of his traps, I should run before he tries to trick me into thinking I've fooled him." 

"And on the other hand, if he really doesn't know your true identity and you run," Zelgadis said, filling in the rest for her, "you'll reveal yourself by making an unneeded escape." 

Lina nodded. "It's a coin toss really," she said. She snorted. "Plus, if I do beat Xellos in this game, I could get a good amount from him—providing that he's not playing around me." 

"Ninety percent chance that he is," Zelgadis said. Someone at the counter called for him and he went to grab a drink. Lina followed close behind. "Must I remind you of the beauty contest and of the more recent Bravo incident?" 

"Right, but these are different conditions," Lina said. She waited until he had prepared and delivered the customer's drink. "That beauty contest thing was way too public to be a good place to keep a low profile. As for my screw-up in Bravo, well, I was cornered by Xellos's relentless pursuit and subject to some really bad luck. Xellos wouldn't have had a chance of finding me if Rosenberg hadn't offered him a job." 

Zelgadis pretended to be arranging some glasses as he discreetly scanned the room, spotting the purple head of their foe. "I don't think the conditions are so different," he said. "Xellos has you cornered again at the moment. Can't say that it's anything remotely like good luck that he happened to come in this tavern." 

"Like I said," Lina muttered, "he came because he wanted to challenge me in the contest. Apparently he's heard many rumors of my previous winnings." 

"Ah, there we go," Zelgadis said. He knocked on Lina's head, ignoring her sound of pain. "Just like the beauty contest, you've attracted too much attention. Because of your unorthodox plan to pay me back, you've got Xellos on our trail again." 

"Hey!" Lina pushed him lightly. "You were the one pressuring me to think of something! I wouldn't have even done this stupid thing if it wasn't for you!" 

"There you go drawing more attention to yourself." 

Lina lowered her fists and lowered her heated temper. "Okay, you've made your point," she said. "I wasn't thinking too much about the consequences, as usual. Now stop rubbing it in my face and give me your opinion about what to do." 

"I wouldn't risk the possibility that Xellos has set a trap for us," Zelgadis said. "The best thing to do is find an excuse to go outside and then run off." 

Lina sighed. "I see…" 

"Then again, you shouldn't rely on what I think." 

"Huh?" After criticizing her past follies, that was the last thing Lina expected Zelgadis to say. 

"I know that you know what the best option is," Zelgadis said. He shook his head. "But I know in the end you're going to go ahead and challenge Xellos." 

Lina put a hand on her hip. "What makes you so sure?" she said. 

Zelgadis made a light smile. "Because I know that you're not the type to give up so easily," he said. "Hell, we wouldn't be here right now if that weren't the case. I never imagined that this whole thing would drag on this long, but it has in great part due to your inability to accept that Xellos has control of you." 

"Heh," Lina said. She didn't add anything else for a while, simply thinking about his words with a smile. When she thought about it she did realize that leaving or somehow making Xellos leave was the best thing to do in their delicate situation; however, something kept nagging her inside about not backing down. If she played her cards right she could score some free money off Xellos. Passing a chance to get money was not one Lina did unless the terms were incredibly unfavorable. Not that Lina's current situation was particularly favorable, but if she had a chance to win money that was dependent on the toss of a coin, she easily take that bet even if the flipside was spending time with the worst person in the world. Zelgadis was indeed right about her. Lina just couldn't be satisfied if she fled. Yes, if Xellos proved to be trying to trap her she would run off without a second thought, but running was always a last resort. Only when she had failed using a method, should she turn to fleeing. 

"Guess I gotta beat him," Lina said. Zelgadis gave her a nod of approval. "Are you sure you wanna accept money that I took from Xellos?" 

"That was the original plan of this game, right?" Zelgadis said. He adjusted his beard. "You better win." 

"Don't worry—I'll drink until Xellos is blue in the face." 

"That's not what I meant." Zelgadis bent down and hid an extra dagger under his shirt, while Lina tried to think what else he could mean. When he rose and she still had the same puzzled expression, he placed a hand on her shoulder. "Kakurenbo, I mean." 

Lina grinned and returned the same thumbs up he had given her early. "I'm absolutely not gonna lose that game," she said. "That's a promise." 

"Okay then," Zelgadis said. He grabbed a tray and started putting bottles and a couple of glasses on it. "Let's get this over with." 

"Right!" 

Lina had expected her return to Xellos's table to be more melancholy and anxious, but after her brief talk with Zelgadis, she had boosted up her confidence in way that she didn't think possible when dealing with such a "Xellos-delicate" situation. With Zelgadis backing her up, her chances of success, whether it was success in concealing herself or successfully running away, seemed to be greatly increased. It didn't hurt that most of those around Xellos's table were cheering for her and expected her to win as she had so many other times with her previous opponents. Of course, Xellos was just as encouraging, making it seem as if he had the utmost confidence in Lina's abilities. It was more likely that he was hoping that the "old woman" could entertain him for a little while, rather than he was actually trying to be polite and give her the benefit of a doubt. Zelgadis was only slightly less curt than usual when he brought the drinks and glasses and briefly spoke with Xellos. Lina could strongly sense that Zelgadis was projecting some of his resentment from the fight he and Xellos had had, especially when Zelgadis made a comment about him having chest problems lately. Lina tried not to smile about that and only made a remark that seemed that she was worried about her "husband's" health. 

"Well, make sure you don't overdo things," Xellos said. "It'd be best to get a doctor to look at you soon to find out the root of those chest pains." 

"Oh, think I'll be able to figure out why I have this cutting pain," Zelgadis said. He poured the two glasses to distract himself from scowling or something to that effect. 

"Now then, it seems appropriate that you explain the rules of this game," Xellos said. 

"It's pretty simple, Metallium-san," Lina said. "We keep drinking until the other can't drink any more." 

Xellos nodded, appearing as though he had already known that. "How does the betting work?" 

"I put up my entire winnings from previous matches. You can either meet that or exceed that, depending on how confident you are." Lina shrugged her shoulders. "If you lose you can always come back to try to win your winnings back, so I feel that it's quite fair." 

"More than fair," Xellos said. He chuckled, puzzling most about what he found so amusing. Both Lina and Zelgadis decided that he was finding humor in the word "fair," which was something he was not so well acquainted with. "What might be your current winnings be?" 

Lina fished out a her pouch and tossed on the center of the table. "Half a thousand," she said. She held back a smile. _As if a thousand is anything to Xellos…_ she thought. 

"500 then…" Xellos said. He placed a finger on his chin as if thinking. 

Lina met eyes Zelgadis, the two of them understanding that Xellos would mostly likely bid higher. The excited customers murmured about Lina's chance to win a thousand and how she was lucky to have went against someone who could lose so many gold pieces like it was pocket change. Lina, as always, was modest about her abilities to win while Xellos continued to ponder something. She knew it was dangerous when he started to think about things, but for the sake of any large bidding he might be considering, she decided to act like she was patient. Zelgadis seemed less patient and most agitated by the comments from the peanut gallery. Although the only sign of his unease was a single finger tapping on his folded arm, it was enough to show that he was eager to see the outcome of the two's "Xellos-encounter." Then again, Lina wasn't sure his impatience wasn't due to the fact that he wanted revenge for what Xellos had done to him earlier. Perhaps in reality Zelgadis wanted their cover blown so that he would have the opportunity to settle the score—it certainly wouldn't be out of the question. Though it were more likely that if anyone would reveal their identities, it would be Lina, she didn't throw out the possibility that Zelgadis could slip up. She was dealing with Xellos, after all. Anything was possible when she was fighting against him. 

"All right, Mrs…Mrs…" Xellos said. 

"The name's Waters," Zelgadis said. "It's been years since we've been called anything besides 'ojiisan' and 'obaasan,' to tell you the truth, though." 

"I see," Xellos said. He took out what seemed to be a random amount of coins from the pouch he had set on the table and laid them near Lina's winnings. Lina, having an eye to count coins as quickly as if she were some kind of machine to perform such a task, calculated in a few seconds that he had bid twice the amount. "It would be no fun to bid so low when the risk is much greater for yourself. You have no problems with that, right, Waters-san?" 

Lina smiled more subtly than she felt. "That seems just fine," she said. She nodded to Zelgadis who poured the glasses for the two. "Well, let's get things started, shall we, Metallium-san? I don't want to take up too much time away from my duties." 

"Of course," Xellos said. He was barely heard over the excited chatter of the spectators. 

Since none present there knew more about Xellos than his wealth and some scattered rumors, the majority were supporting Lina. Whether or not this confidence in her was because of her previous ability or whether they simply wanted to motivate the curiosity that she had become, mattered little to Lina. Their support wasn't going to move Xellos to any kind of concern like doubting himself. Lina noticed that the smile he sent to her across the table seemed to be "normal." Normal for Xellos was a smile that didn't give off the sense of a secret plan, knowledge he had that others didn't, or a cover up for whatever he was truly feeling. She took a moment to consider that his smile was a neutral one, forgetting that it was she that was going to take the first drink. It puzzled her because the bad vibes Xellos usually communicated to her were not there. Not as though he were non-threatening, but he wasn't as nearly threatening as he had been in the past when he suddenly showed up. Lina almost had the idea to ask him what the matter was; she had become accustomed to the idea that no matter what, Xellos would always look as though he knew exactly what someone was thinking or hiding. 

"Ano (Um)…you did want to go first, correct, Waters-san?" Xellos asked. 

Lina blinked and dumbly nodded, none noticing the real reason she had been momentarily out of it. She casually took down her drink, getting cheers from the crowd who were eager to see the commencement of the contest. Xellos took his drink in the same fashion, returning Lina's turn in no time. Although she now remembered again that she needed to make sure that by all means she won the money and convinced Xellos she was someone she was not, Lina could not completely forget the strange atmosphere that he brought. It would be a while before she would feel anything near drunkenness (Lina already assumed Xellos would hold out long enough for that to happen), she thought it a good opportunity to try to safely see if Xellos was on to her or not. 

"You don't mind if I ask you a few questions, do you, Metallium-san?" Lina said. She had just finished her second drink. "Despite being allowed to live such a long life, I've rarely met those of such upper society." 

"Iie, douzo (go ahead)," Xellos said. He picked up his refilled glass, waiting for the first question before taking his turn. 

"I'm just a little curious as to why an important person like yourself would be interested in such a mundane activity," Lina said. Unexpectedly she heard Zelgadis laugh, which was unexpected not only because she didn't anticipate a reaction from him, but it was rare when she ever did hear him laugh. It was particularly extraordinary to hear him force such a fake laugh. Lina realized it was a signal from him that she was asking something perhaps she shouldn't in the sake of maintaining their cover. 

"Forgive my wife," Zelgadis said, placing a hand on her shoulder. "She's quite nosy at times. Feel free to ignore her rather _personal_ questions." 

"Iie," Xellos said. He took a sip from his drink. "I simply needed a break from the great deal of stress I've been dealing with lately." 

Lina couldn't see Zelgadis's expression, due to the fact that she was giving Xellos a dubious look, but she was positive his reaction was exactly the same as hers. "Stress…you say?" she repeated. Her face remained blank while her brain decided whether to treat that statement as an extreme joke or an outrageous claim. 

Zelgadis turned away pretending to trying to clear his throat. Lina wondered whether he was hiding laughing or choking back angry rebuttals to his bogus comment. Xellos suggested that Zelgadis drink a glass of water before he himself emptied his glass and then went on to clarify his previous statement. 

"You see I'm been quite beside myself because a person very important to me is missing," Xellos said. 

"Jiisan (Grandpa)," Lina said to alert Zelgadis to her empty glass. "My, how horrible for you." 

"Ee (Yes)," Xellos said. His eyes dropped down into his cup. "My search for her isn't going too well." 

Lina almost choked on her drink. A few people asked her if she was all right as she struggled not to spit up any of the liquid and Zelgadis gently patted her on the back. He whispered next to her ear that his words sounded like a setup to reveal that he knew who they were. Lina wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and said that she could get Xellos to show whether or not he knew it was her or not. Zelgadis raised a brow at her as he refilled Xellos's glass, but said no more as he stood again by the side of the table. 

"Are you sure you wish to continue, Waters-san?" Xellos said. "You don't seem to be handling the liquor so well." 

"No, no," Lina said, "I'm fine. But I would like to hear more of this person you've lost. Perhaps my husband or I or even someone in this tavern has seen him or her." 

"Her," Xellos said. He sighed and shook his head. "It's most unlikely. Most here are locals, deshou?" 

"I'm a visitor, sir," a man near the front of the crowd circling them said. "I've come across many-a-person on my way here and might have come across her." 

"Well, it is possible," Xellos admitted. He held up his glass so that the liquid would be better viewed. "Her eyes were like this." 

Lina frowned at the comparison, having never noticed. However, she frowned more when Zelgadis snorted. The man admitted that he might have, but would need more description. 

Xellos smiled and drank the alcohol in a deliberate and steady fashion, as if savoring it this time. "What's more she got a certain punch to her—not unlike this drink." 

"You're likening her to this??" Lina said, thankfully she didn't say herself. Several people found it amusing, including Zelgadis, while others found it quite an eccentric parallel that only one who could be dubbed "mysterious" would come up with. 

"Well, she certainly knocks me out," Xellos said. He rubbed the back of his head. "Literally, actually. I've drank more than most can handle and haven't been out like a blow from her." 

"Come on, baasan (grandma)," Zelgadis said. He placed her full glass into her hand while she grumbled about his comment. "You have to admit that's pretty funny." 

"I just wish _I_ could have the opportunity to compare him to something that's like himself," Lina muttered. "Maybe something like he equivalent to drinking some poison." When Zelgadis smiled, Lina calmed down a little and turned her attention to her drink. 

"This lost woman, Metallium-san…" someone behind Xellos said, "might she be a lover or something like that?" 

"Ah, I heard you were housing one lately," another man said. "Is that the woman you're talking about?" 

Xellos thanked Zelgadis as he refilled his glass before he answered any of the questions. "I suppose that's a fair assessment to call her my lover," he said. "And she is indeed the woman I have been housing of late." 

"A _lover_ you say?" Lina said. Her hand shook noticeably, but she ignored it since it would easily be mistaken as a sign of her old age. 

"Yes," Xellos said. He sighed as if recalled a pleasant memory after setting down his now empty glass on the table. "I'm embarrassed to say that I did have such a love interest within my household." 

_I'm gonna kill him,_ Lina thought. She was one Xellos word away from reaching across the table and choking him. _He's gotta be doing this on purpose though—purposely trying to get me angry and reveal—_

"I heard a rumor that you were holding Lina Inverse at your house." 

"Lina Inverse? _That_ Lina Inverse?" 

"The one who destroys cities?" 

"I thought she was a thief." 

"No, I think she _kills_ thieves." 

"I think those are some very, _very_ off-base stories," Lina said, her whole body shaking now. "I've heard nothing but good things about this Miss Lina Inverse." 

"My, everyone's heard such interesting things about her," Xellos said. "I can tell you first hand that she does not quite live up to those rumors." 

"Exactly," Lina said. She calmed down enough to throw back another shot, more concerned with the conversation than what was going down her throat. 

"So, does that mean Lina Inverse was the woman staying at your house?" 

"Yes, indeed," Xellos said. Most people made amazed and impressed noises. "Very exciting having had such a person in my house." 

Lina did her best to seem uninterested, despite her being named as the woman staying at his house until a conclusion came to her. Xellos had just identified her as her lover, which would surely spread around the city, if not others, like a forest fire. Lina grabbed at her forehead as she desperately thought of a way to dispel his lie before others accepted it as fact. She realized she would have to act quickly before anyone else had a chance. 

"So you're saying that during the time you housed Ms. Lina Inverse you also had a—" Lina tried. 

"You and Lina Inverse are lovers??" 

Lina couldn't even curse nor imagine thoughts of strangling the random person who had blurted the exact thing she wanted to prevent. And of course, as Lina had further predicted, Xellos agreed as easily as if it were the truth. He had given a simple nod as he finished swallowing his drink and further vexed Lina by confirming it with an even more outrageous lie than simply being lovers (of a undisclosed nature). 

"We're both quite smitten with each other," Xellos said. "It's hard to keep our hands off each other." 

Lina started digging under her shirt for her sword seconds before Zelgadis came behind her and gently massaged her shoulders. "Calm down, Lina," he said. "Obviously he knows it's us and wants to give it away." 

"Yeah, so?" Lina growled. "He'll be missing an arm anyway after I'm done with him." 

"You really want to pop up as Lina Inverse right here?" Zelgadis said. "Right now, I'd think you'd rather be anyone but her." 

Lina didn't want to agree, because of her intense anger, nor did she want to disagree because he was too right about not wanting to show her true face. "Damnit!" she muttered. "That vial you had some days ago would have come in handy right now…even if he claims few poisons can kill him." 

"Funny you should mention that." Zelgadis stopped massaging her shoulders and stood so that she could see his sneaky expression. "I happen to have another vial." 

"What??" Lina said. She was lucky there was so much discussion about the intimate relationship between Xellos and Lina that she need not talk in a hushed voice. "No, I was joking about poisoning—" 

"Please, baba (old woman)," Zelgadis said. He filled up her glass so as to seem more natural, though hardly anyone was paying attention to anything outside Xellos's lies about the romance he shared with Lina. "Xellos doesn't deserve the pleasure of being killed so nicely." 

"You got that right," Lina said. "Well, then what's in that vial?" She took a sip of her drink, in no hurry to finish since Xellos was occupied running his mouth. 

"It's guaranteed to knock out a person in ten minutes or less." 

Lina smiled. "Cheating?" 

"You could call it cheating." He shrugged. "Or we could call it a convenient escaping aid." 

"Naru hodo (I see)." Lina put her hand to her chin. "It really looks like he does know since he's following the usual pattern: showing up as if he doesn't recognize me and doing his best to piss me off." 

"We'll know for sure depending on his reaction to his tiredness." Zelgadis's eyes turned to Xellos as if he were searching for a sign. Said millionaire appeared to be having a ball divulging all details of what he and Lina Inverse had been up to. Zelgadis repressed a smile at his words, fearing Lina would reprimand him for finding the lies amusing. 

"My bedroom seems so empty without her," Xellos said. 

Lina chugged the rest of her drink like it was water. "Hurry up and knock him out before I do," she said. 

Zelgadis nodded. "Oh, excuse me, Metallium-san," he said. "I need to retrieve another bottle." He left before Xellos could respond. 

"Iya (Oh, my)," Xellos said. "It seems I haven't been paying much attention to our game." 

"Quite all right, Metallium-san," Lina said. _Because your ass is gonna get knocked out, so don't worry about a thing!_ she thought. 

"I feel much better sharing stories about my lost Lina-san," Xellos said. "I truly, truly am distraught without her." 

"Those lonely nights must be horrible," Lina said, closing her eyes to prevent rolling them. 

"Very much so. She's a handful, but I love every second I'm around her." 

Lina sighed. "It's fine if you disregard this as some bitter old woman's words…" she said, "but I've seen many a woman get used to the fullest by men with a lot of gold to spare who just wanted a little entertainment. I find it a little hard to believe you're sincere." 

"I'd be more suspicious of Lina Inverse, personally," a woman said. "She might kill you then rob you, Metallium-san." 

"Bitch!" Lina spat out. She knew that was an important screw up, but she was comforted that she didn't toss the glass at the nameless woman's face. 

"Pardon, Waters-san?" Xellos said. 

Lina laughed in her best elderly voice. "Excuse my profanity," she said. "That's how I'd feel if Lina Inverse would do such a thing. But I haven't heard anything that would support she would." 

"I see," Xellos said. He shook his head. "No, Lina-san wouldn't do something like that. "She loves money, but not enough to jeopardize her integrity. If an amount of gold coins could win her heart, why it would be as simple as a snap of the fingers." 

"Hmm." Lina didn't know how to respond to some honesty coming from his mouth. Honestly, she was thankful when Zelgadis returned and took Xellos's glass. Xellos was watching him until Lina thought it best to distract him. 

"If the two of you are so in love, why is she missing?" Lina said. It was one of the most obvious questions no one had bothered to ask only because the idea of the quirky millionaire and "thief killer" together was too amazing. 

Xellos's grin looked even more fake than Lina thought possible. "I can't really say," he said. "I may not look it, but I'm very upset." 

"You're right, you don't look very upset," Lina said. 

"I assure you it's merely an act. It's not really in my nature to show my true emotions. Besides, one in such a position as myself can't afford to appear vulnerable, deshou (right)?" 

Lina nodded, doing well to fight her urge to disagree with his reasoning. "That does make sense," she said, "but at the same time it may explain why Miss Inverse is no longer with you." 

"Dou iu imi desu ka (What do you mean)?" 

"Well…" Lina said, taking a second to shift her focus to Zelgadis. He seemed to have finished tampering with Xellos's drink. When he lightly set it on the table and Xellos's attention still hadn't moved from Lina, she went on with her explanation. "What woman would want to be with someone who couldn't show his true self? What's more I'm sure with your _position_ you have to lie to her and all people a significant amount, am I right?" 

"Ee, (Yes)," Xellos said. "Such a thing is for the best not just to protect myself, but for her sake as well. A woman who has lived as long as you have should be familiar with such dangerous truths, I'm sure." 

Lina narrowed her eyes despite her efforts to cover up her annoyance. "All right, I can agree with you there, Metallium-san," she said. 

"I'm glad," Xellos said. He finally picked up his glass, with no heed of those secretly monitoring his movements so carefully. "I was beginning to think you were blaming me for all of my problems." 

"Now don't be so quick to exonerate your fault in this 'separation,'" Lina said. She smiled for two reasons: one, she was glad Xellos was starting to drink and two, she was glad that she could possibly make Xellos look bad in front of the townspeople. With luck, she could turn the horrible rumor of herself and Xellos together into something that made him look like the bad guy. Since being known as Xellos's lover was rock bottom for Lina, she was eager to change anything in the rumor that would make her seem more than a gold-digging thief-killer. 

"Sou (Really)?" Xellos said. He was about halfway done with drinking. "You believe I have more to do with her disappearance?" 

"Of course." Lina cursed his slow drinking, wondering if his delayed pace would effect the potency of the sleeping concoction. "Do you believe that this Lina Inverse would hide what she's truly feeling?" 

Xellos started to laugh, but stopped it when he returned the glass to his lips. He continued laughing for a few seconds after he had finished, which Lina couldn't be too angry about since her comment had motivated him to hurry up and drink the rest. Lina turned her gaze away from Xellos when she saw Zelgadis stretch in a sleepy motion to alert her attention to the clock on the far wall behind Xellos. She held up her glass to let him know that she was on the same page. 

"Excuse me for laughing, but if you did ever meet Lina-san you would realize how shy she can be at times," Xellos said. 

_Ten minutes of this I suppose I can handle,_ Lina thought. _But I'm determined not to let Xellos muck up my name any more tonight!_

"I've never heard anything about Lina Inverse being shy," a man commented. "Perhaps the woman you've been seeing is merely someone who resembles Lina Inverse and is trying to impersonate her." 

_Oh, my God!_ Lina thought. _I'd jump up and kiss you, sir, if that wouldn't seem so completely random! What a great way to prove there's nothing going on between the two of us!_

"Yes, why not consider that possibility?" Lina said. Zelgadis shook his head at her, but she was too delighted with the way out of the rumor to care about his opinion. 

"That was Lina Inverse, all right," Xellos said. "She practically grew up with one of my associates, so I would not mistake her for someone else. Besides, this 'Lina-san' I've being so intimately involved with was constantly going about with a friend of hers who is rather hard to impersonate, equally as much as Lina is." 

As Zelgadis poured Lina another round he whispered to her, "I don't know if I should take that as a compliment or not." 

Lina tapped the rim of her glass. "Okay, so perhaps it really was Lina Inverse you were involved with," she said. She crossed off any other ideas of disproving it wasn't. "However, no one has still known her to be a shy person. One who could be assumed to be a city-destroyer and thief can't possibly so bashful." 

"True," Xellos said. He opened his mouth partially, closed it, and then drew a hand to his forehead. "My." 

"Gracious, Metallium-san," Lina said. She held her hand over mouth, fearful she would release a giggle. "Are you starting to get a headache?" 

"I have had quite a bit to drink," Xellos said. He withdrew his hand. "Of course, I might just be exhausted from the incredibly long week I've had." 

"I see," Lina said. Some people encouraged her to keep going at her pace and that she had a good chance of winning now. 

"I'm impressed that you don't show one sign of being at your limit, Waters-san." 

"I'm just a very healthy old woman, I guess." She took all of her drink in one big gulp, getting some applause from the crowd and Xellos in addition. 

"Yes, baasan (Grandma) sure is something," Zelgadis said, setting up Xellos for his turn. "I can't beat the ol' wife when it comes to drinking." 

"Hmm," Xellos said. He stared at the liquid in his glass for a while as if trying to determine whether or not to take another drink. 

"You still set on winning, Metallium-san?" a man asked. 

"Baachan (Granny) really knows how to hold her liquor!" another said. "Never seen anyone her age like it." 

Truth be told Lina was getting a little lightheaded since she had already gone through some drinking bouts with two others that day, but she would drink until she passed out if Xellos was the opponent. Not only that but she was well fired up by his outrageous lies that had threatened to destroy whatever slice of good reputation she had left. There was no way she was going to sit back and let a little tipsy sensation get the best of her in this kind of situation. 

"Come on, Metallium-san! Don't give up now!" 

"No, I have no intention of that," Xellos said. He slowly looked up at Lina. "Somehow this fatigue does not seem natural." 

Zelgadis stiffened and Lina swallowed nervously. "What are you trying to say?" she asked. "I mean, you just said that you were…worn out by this week." 

Xellos held up his glass and swirled the liquid around. "What exactly is this, Waters-ojiisan (Grandpa Waters)?" he asked. "I don't quite recognize it." 

"Nothing fancy," Zelgadis said. "People order it from time to time. Not quite sure what it's made of, myself. The locals here just call it 'Three Shot.' I suppose on account that most don't take more than three shots of it. Never seen it before in other cities." 

"But I like anything that's strong," Lina said. Her heart rate went down after Zelgadis had covered so well. Xellos's nod and disappearance of his suspicious expression didn't hurt her either. 

"That you do," Zelgadis agreed. 

Xellos drank with no sign of caution. He didn't gulp his down like Lina, but he didn't prolong drinking it like he had done so many other times. "I'm sorry if I sound as if I were trying to insinuate something," he said. "I just didn't think until now to ask." 

"Of course," Zelgadis said. 

"If we might return to our previous conversation, Waters-san," Xellos said. 

"Um, yes," Lina said. "You mean about Miss Inverse being reluctant to express herself?" 

"Exactly," Xellos said. "It's not until you get to know her on the personal level that you can see how embarrassed she can be to let someone know that she cares for him or her." 

"What leads you to believe that she is embarrassed about such things?" Lina said. Although Lina went along with the conversation willingly, all she could think about was her desire to see Xellos drop his head down, unconscious. 

Xellos sighed with content. "It is quite obvious," he said. "As soon as you try to express some kind of fondness toward her, she goes into a much excessive defense. There's no need to protest and fight so much for something one does not feel." 

Lina rubbed her head, which easily could have been mistaken for a sign of her soon giving into her drunkenness, but rather was her trying to console her brain while she held back a fit of arguments to his claim. She waited until she finished her next drink before speaking to him again. It calmed her enough to keep her words more along the character she was doing her best to portray. 

"I imagine with the information you've given me about yourself, Metallium-san," Lina said slowly, "that you would not make yourself 'vulnerable' to Miss Inverse and express true feelings. Rather, you would say words that sounded sincere, yet were not, so that perhaps she would believe you, but you wouldn't danger yourself by telling the truth." 

Xellos smiled. "My, Waters-san," he said. "I can see that you are a wise old woman indeed, but you definitely sound as though you believe that I am playing Lina-san for a fool." 

"I don't see how that would benefit you since the rumors about her don't suggest she's an idiot," Lina said, "but I suppose you could have enough confidence in yourself to think that she might be taken in by only you." 

"I agree it does no good to tell Lina-san something I don't mean," Xellos said. He took a sip from his freshly renewed drink. "However, I only do that when it's obvious to both of us that I'm not telling the truth. This doesn't apply to when I tell her that I'm fond of her." 

"Metallium-san," Lina said, "how do you prove this to Miss Inverse? I'm simply curious as to how you convinced her to stop being so shy and accept your feelings." She held back a smirk, hoping she could have a good laugh after his response. Knowing him it would be totally preposterous and off the wall. 

"It is slightly difficult to prove it," he said. "Even when I tell her how I truly feel about her, she doesn't take it too seriously." 

Lina snorted. "Then how can you prove it to her?" she asked. "How did you make her so deeply in love with you? I'm just ever so curious." 

"Well," Xellos said, yawning in between, "I can only show it in a very vague way." Xellos gripped his glass when two hands as he finished off his drink, giving off the impression that the task was becoming a bit more demanding. He breathed afterwards as if taking in such a careful amount of oxygen would clear his head. 

"Vague way?" Lina said. She was only partially in their conversation, convinced that anything he would add to it before he "gave up" would be nothing more than rubbish. 

Xellos made a motion with his finger for Lina to lean in closer. She became a bit more intrigued with what he had to say, but at the same time she was counting on him saying something disgusting that he didn't want all the others around him to hear. He had a dopey look on his face that Lina had seen before, but she was convinced that unlike those other times, this expression was not some kind of cover-up. It was difficult for her not to smile at the things she could possibly do to him in such a vulnerable state. It was the first time ever such a moment had arose since Lina was convinced that Xellos never naturally went to sleep one day in his life. 

"The truth is," Xellos said, "I'm actually sort of glad that Lina-san is gone." 

Lina was glad that Zelgadis had only then put something in her glass because had she had anything in her mouth at that moment, she would have spit it out. "Excuse me, Metallium-san?" she said. 

"I said I'm glad that she is gone." He laughed so softly Lina almost didn't notice despite being so close to him. "I really shouldn't say that, but it's true." 

"This is how you prove that you like her??" Lina said. She felt like shaking him and yelling at how backwards he was in all things that were human emotions. "How can you be in love with someone who is gone??" 

"Waters-san, it is a complicated story which I cannot fully get into the details of," Xellos said, "but I can tell you that recently that the longer she stayed with me, the more chances she would be involved in a mess, of my doing, that would be incredibly unpleasant for her. Her life could be jeopardized—at best she would live, but live in a state of hell." 

"I'm…I'm really confused." Lina tried desperately to think of what he could be talking about. Surely this was referring to his plan for her, but he hadn't said enough for her to narrow down the possibilities. 

"Just know that I secretly am relieved she is gone. I will upset someone who is higher-positioned than me, but I can minimize my punishment by proving it was out of my hands. I'm at risk telling you this, but at the moment I feel quite unrestrained." 

"So, you're saying that you're trying to protect her, but can't publicly show that you are and this proves it?" 

"Sou desu (That's right)." Xellos drew out a yawn for a notable amount of time. "Lina-san won't know that, but she'll sense that I care. This is how I do it without really doing it. 

"Why don't you just put an end to this and then you could bring her back?" Lina said. She was actually starting to get annoyed at his sleepiness since it delayed his response. Finally he was saying something worth her while and he was passing out. 

"It's not in my power to do such a thing," Xellos said. He shrugged. "I should be furious that I'm actually failing in achieving something a higher power has ordered me to do, but I cannot because of Lina-san. I know one day I'll run into her again, so I am comfortable enough to simply miss her company until it is less hazardous for her to be around." 

Lina pulled away from Xellos, letting her back hit her chair fairly hard. "What a…what a complicated…relationship," she said. She raised a brow, contemplating if he were saying this with knowledge it was her. 

Based on Lina's past experiences with Xellos, she couldn't easily believe that Xellos was saying such a thing with no idea he was saying it to Lina. If she went with that most probable conclusion of his level of knowledge, it puzzled her why he would say something that would give her an extra incentive to stay away from him. The better thing for him to do would have been to say something that have scared her into believing that she no chance of escaping. Even better, he should have done his best to convince her that her suspicions about him planning something terrible for her were nothing but her imagination. It was the fact that he outright admitted that he was scheming that Lina couldn't just ignore what he said. If she thought for even a second that Xellos hadn't a clue who she was, Lina felt that she would immediately be thrown into some kind of false security. After all, Xellos was most likely trying to deceive her by talking as if he was in the dark about her identity. That was a decent explanation as to why he sounded as if he were confiding to someone whom he thought to be no risk to himself. 

Yet Lina couldn't readily except that either. Xellos was simply just too cautious to reveal something that truthful to simply keep up a charade. There was nothing that could convince Lina that Xellos was not trying to make her some part of a heinous plan, but there was quite a bit that caused Lina to begin to believe that Xellos really didn't know who she was at the moment. Nothing could make her actually verbally admit that she did, nor did she really want to believe it. However, on a very small level she found it hard not to believe it. It made more sense than him knowing who she was and playing dumb. It was quite a scary thought to think that Lina might have fooled him, but it was an even more unnerving idea that Xellos could actually be relieved that Lina was gone for the reasons he had stated. She knew how much he got a kick out of seeing her blow her top for various things he said or did, so she was positive that he would eagerly jump on any opportunity to spend time with her. Lina didn't know what to do with this new view of Xellos. There was no way that she could change her mind about him after knowing so many reasons why he should be the most unlikable man on the planet, but she did find it hard to convince herself that some of those comments Xellos had made about liking were completely false. If he could be telling the truth about desiring to protect her, she couldn't just throw out the possibility that those infinite times he talked about being fond of her were still completely impossible. 

Lina wasn't sure why, but she couldn't just sit back and ignore her new revelation. She was fortunate that Xellos's focus at the moment was on staying awake and not on herself. Lina just felt that she should be taking some kind of action after finding out about all of this. What she really wanted was to confront Xellos and see if she could get some more of this new-found honesty he was revealing. Even if she was starting to freak out a little, she still wouldn't forget that she was undercover. Lina would have liked to continue with their drinking game as if she was getting confident over Xellos's apparent sleepiness, but it was taking all of her energy not to blurt out something that would reveal herself. 

"Hey, don't give up now, baachan (granny)! You're winning!" 

"Yeah, I think Metallium-san won't last much longer!" 

"You can do it, baachan!" 

Zelgadis saw that Lina hadn't said or truly made any meaningful moves in a long time and laid his hand over hers. "Doukashita (What's wrong)?" he said. 

"Uh…nothing," Lina said. She smiled more for the sake of the crowd than for his sake, knowing that Zelgadis would realize it was forced. "I'm okay." 

"You sure?" 

Lina nodded and patted his hand over hers. "Yeah, thanks." She resumed playing and took her turn, getting applause. 

Zelgadis nodded at her and then turned to Xellos. "Metallium-san, mou ippai (another one)?" 

"I'd love to say yes," Xellos said. He drew in a breath and shook his head. "I'm afraid I'm at my limit." 

"Yatta (You did it), baachan!" hat was the first of cheers and congratulations after Xellos announced his defeat. Lina managed to ask him if he was sure through all the commotion, and Xellos vigorously waved his hand. He rose to his feet slowly holding onto the back of his chair for some support. 

"It's been quite entertaining, but I believe I must head back home," Xellos said. "I feel like I just might fall asleep any moment. However, I promise to come challenge you again when I am more energetic." 

"Ah…Uhn (Yeah)…" Lina said. She absent-mindedly collected the money and then handed it to Zelgadis. "Good game, Metallium-san." 

"Ee (Yes)," Xellos said. He made a short bow. "Dewa (Well then), if you'll excuse me." He yawned one last time before he turned to leave. 

After Xellos had most certainly exited the pub, Zelgadis gradually directed the crowd to disperse and return to their tables. He found this necessary before he tried to have some private conversation with Lina. Either the two had been successful or they were simply sitting ducks in Xellos's elaborate plan that they could not quite decipher its layout. 

"He left, which means he could be getting reinforcements to trap us here," Zelgadis said. "There's a great possibility that from now on we'll be monitored until Xellos picks the perfect time to strike at us. It's best to keep on our toes for now." 

"…Uhn (Yeah)…" 

Zelgadis frowned. "Na (Say), are you listening?" 

Lina was quiet for about ten seconds before she nodded. "Yes. I'm listening. You're right, you're right. We gotta be on our toes." 

"Okay…" 

"Let's get back to work," Lina said. "Can't act like anything out of the ordinary, right?" 

"Right…" Zelgadis said. 

Her immediate return to cater to others' requests for refreshments might have looked "ordinary" for anyone who didn't know it was Lina, but for Zelgadis, of course, she seemed incredibly distracted by something. He assumed it was simply because she didn't know when Xellos would be back to end their hiding game, but he also sensed that it was something else. Zelgadis couldn't put his finger on it, but he didn't have too much time to ponder about it. He, too, would need to jump back to work without a hitch so that regardless if Xellos was waiting to catch them, he would never have given his foe a chance to unravel the disguises that for the most part the two had maintained better than any other they had ever attempted.

* * *

This was the second night Lina laid in bed without a great desire to fall asleep. Physically, she was tired from drinking and being on her feet most of the day; mentally, her brain would not settle down long enough to give her enough peace to relax enough to close her eyes more than a moment. Zelgadis had noticed she had been wired as of late, but luckily he was disregarding it as uncertainty of when Xellos would be back. That wasn't too far from the truth. It wasn't as if Lina thought she could calm herself when she knew that Xellos could very well be waiting in the shadows for her at any turn. Then again, with the two being in Hadin it was slightly preposterous to think that they might never run into him. Zelgadis and Lina had been prepared for it—they were still prepared for it. Lina didn't think that they had no chance of escaping if he indeed tried to set up a trap for them. Therefore, most of the stress that was causing her insomnia had little to do with Xellos waiting for his time to strike. Rather, Lina was conflicted with something else. She couldn't quite identify what she was so conflicted about, but it definitely dealt with her new perception of Xellos. 

What confused her more than even the possibility of finding some good in someone like him was the fact that she couldn't just forget about it. She couldn't just dismiss the whole thing with an idea like all people have some good in them. Lina had been more than a hundred percent positive that Xellos was the complete opposite of this rule. Nothing he did, whether it looked good or bad, was simply selfless or without purpose. Those times he had saved Lina life were merely just to fulfill his need to use her as part of his plan. Whether she died or became hurt was really none of his concern. This is what Lina had come to accept and she was fine with that. She was fine with that because it gave her a good idea of how she should understand the impossible person that was Xellos Metallium. Now Lina didn't really know what she should think. In the back of her mind, she almost wished Xellos would return and give her that smug smile he always did whenever he caught her. That would ascertain her previous conception about him, and there would no longer be any need for her to waste so much of her brain power on him. 

Lina closed her eyes and then reopened them. She couldn't allow herself, even in secret, to wish for them to get caught. No matter what she might think of him, she knew for sure that he would drag her back to his house and finally succeed in manipulating her into some task that was going to benefit him in a great way and possibly kill her. Not to mention that Lina had to think of Zelgadis. The scar left on his chest was a huge reminder that Xellos did have, or at least had, the intention of killing him. Since Xellos's plan seemed to involve powers greater than his own, it was unlikely that he would not hold a grudge for someone getting in the way of completing his covert mission. Both of their lives were in danger. Lina couldn't wish for Xellos to do them in simply because she wanted to have peace of mind that Xellos was the terrible man that she thought. She knew that, it made complete sense to her, yet still she… 

"You're not tired?" 

Lina turned to Zelgadis, staring right back at her. She wondered how long he had been awake or if he had never really gone to sleep. There were ways to tell in Zelgadis's case, Lina had learned over the years, but she hadn't thought they were necessary as of late. She smiled and returned her gaze to the ceiling. 

"It's not that. I just can't stop thinking." 

"Of course, it's about Xellos." He sighed and rested his chin on his folded arms. "We have no idea what he's up to." 

"Not just that." Lina turned so that half of her face was covered by her pillow. "Um…I… Well, I think that… I'm probably just…" 

"You're not saying anything," Zelgadis said. 

Lina's voice dropped as she talked more into her pillow. "Maybe…you were right," she said. 

"What?" he said. Zelgadis scooted closer to her. "Oi, speak up." 

Lina did just the opposite and put her entire face into the pillow. "I think you were right," she said. 

"What??" 

Realizing that Lina was simply going to keep muttering into a pillow, Zelgadis pulled it from under her. He did it not only to prevent her from muffling herself, but also to annoy her when her head dropped on the mattress. It was effective on both parts; Lina's voice was no longer quiet, neither were her fists. 

"All right, all right!" Zelgadis said. He stopped shielding himself when she settled down. "Just go on with what you were saying." 

"I said you might be right!" Lina snapped. She was breathing as if she were out of breath and red like she had been sitting in a hot bath for hours. 

"I don't want to argue with you when you're admitting I'm right about something," Zelgadis said, "but what are you talking about?" 

Lina's eyes dropped to the blanket on top of them. "Xellos," she muttered. 

"I've said a _lot_ of things about him." 

"When you said…said he might like me…" 

Zelgadis was silent for a good minute, making Lina sweat a little. A speedy response would have assured her that her acceptance of that was nothing too important. He even laughed a little, which possibly could have gone on longer if Lina did not immediately glare up at him. 

"Listen, I'm not trying to make fun of you," Zelgadis said. "It's just not like you to be slow about things that are so obvious. The interest he has in you goes far beyond a 'business deal.'" 

"I don't think it's that obvious," Lina said. She felt herself being irritated at his reaction. Somehow she had wanted him to be surprised she came to that conclusion. 

"Lina, I'm surprised he hasn't grabbed you and tried to—" 

"Let's move on, okay?" Lina slipped out of the covers and sat on the edge of the bed. "Knowing that he does bothers me. I don't need a psycho like him wanting anything to do with me, especially in that way." 

"Why does it matter so much?" Zelgadis asked. He was talking to her back now, but he figured that it was best for her if he didn't join her on the side of the bed. "So he likes you—if you go around as much as you do, you're bound to eventually have someone favor you who's not good." 

"You're right, but it doesn't help me," Lina said. "I don't really know why it bothers me, but it bothers me like hell. Ugh!!" 

"Forget about it. If anything, you should use it against him to finally bring him down." 

"Ee (Huh)?" Lina glanced at him over her shoulder. 

"You know…" Zelgadis said. He made an indistinct gesture with his hand and lowered his voice. "Use some of that charm…you must have and…" 

"Zel, you're going to be my new problem if you continue with that sentence," Lina said. 

Zelgadis coughed. "Regardless, I don't think you should worry about it so much." 

"No, no, no," Lina said. "I've got to put a stop to it." 

"You really need sleep." When she bared her teeth at him, he sweat-dropped. "You're serious? How the hell do you think you can make him not like you? Flirting in his mind is when you punch the hell out of him, according to your stories. Unless you could find someone else he could like more, you're talking about something impossible." 

"Damnit, no!" Lina started punching her pillow. "I can just live with that!" 

"Lina…" Zelgadis said. He grabbed her wrists. "Lina, you're taking this way out of proportion. What's going to happen now that you know he likes you?" 

"I…I dunno!" Lina said. "What, you think I should just act like that's okay??" 

"Yeah. You're freaking out a little too much." 

"But…but it's Xellos! I mean, come on!" 

Lina gradually started to realize she was going on about the whole thing a little too much when Zelgadis gave her a long, quiet stare. She yanked her wrists away and ran her hands through her hair, trying to show a little nonchalance. Lina regretted telling him anything and wished that they could just forget everything that had just been said and go to sleep. Not that Lina could sleep, but she could pretend in the dark room until the sun rose. 

"You gonna act like this any time you think someone likes you?" Zelgadis said. 

"This isn't someone—it's Xellos," Lina said. "The guy that nearly killed me and you. The guy who gets a kick out of cheating people out of the money over and over again. We're not talking about some run-of-the-mill guy that is repulsive—we're talking about the guy who answers whenever someone says the word 'repulsive.'" 

Zelgadis shook his head. "Don't tell me…you like him too," he said. 

"Zel!" Lina was even surprised how fast she was holding him by his shoulders. "Are you even listening to a single word?? Where do you get that kind of crap from??" 

"You're starting to frighten me because now you're really sounding like you like him." Zelgadis's face soon turned to disbelief. "You've gotta be kidding me!" 

"You're kidding yourself!" Lina said. "I do not like him! And there's nothing that can change that!" 

"Lina, if it's true then just—" 

"Listen to me, Zelgadis," Lina said. "Xellos is the last man on earth I would ever even have lukewarm feelings for. There's no good reason for me even to like him! There's only one possible thing that redeeming about him, but it hardly makes up for—" 

"Redeeming?" Zelgadis repeated. His face showed more horror. "Oh, God, you just used that word in a sentence that was referring to Xellos! Oh, my God…" 

"Zel, now you're the one freaking out, okay," Lina said. She laughed and backed a little from him. "You're taking some stuff I said in a really weird light." 

"I know you, Lina," Zelgadis said. "I've known you most of my life. Whenever you're embarrassed about admitting something, you deny it more than is necessary." 

"What can I do to convince you I'm telling the truth?" Lina said. She threw up her hands. "This is what I get for telling you my problems. Some friend you are." 

Zelgadis scratched his head and drummed his fingers on his lap. "Believe me, I want you to convince me that you don't like Xellos," he said. "If you don't _I'm_ gonna have trouble sleeping." 

"Don't say that," Lina said. 

"I'm serious—you've got me worried now," Zelgadis said. "What's going to happen when you're alone with him again?" 

"Not gonna happen because I don't like him," Lina said. "Besides, just because I like someone doesn't mean something going to happen." 

"Like you said, this isn't someone—it's Xellos." 

"I can take care of myself." Lina frowned. "You're supposed to be the one that knows me the best. Do you really think I'd even slightly like that guy?" 

"…" Zelgadis scratched his head again. "I can't think of a reason why you would. I guess I'll just go with that." 

"Fine. Then don't accuse me of that any more." 

"All right. Let's go to sleep." 

Lina complied without any agreement and laid down on her back. She lie there for several minutes quietly before she looked over at Zelgadis. He was lying in the same manner she was, eyes wide open. Lina returned her eyes ahead of her. 

"Zel, you'll support me in whatever I decide to do, right?" 

"What are you talking about?" 

"You just said you're worried about me." 

"Yeah, I am. I always am. Usually because you're always in something stupid." 

"Well, I'm going to make a stupid decision that I'd like you to back me up on." 

Zelgadis massaged his forehead. "Don't tell me what it is—I'll just agree in the end." 

"You'll also try to talk me out of it, but it won't work. And you won't really understand what I'm trying to do." 

"I never do." He and she laughed, reducing some of the tension between them. "Sorry for putting you on the spot about that. I just don't trust Xellos, especially when you're concerned." 

"Thanks." Lina turned on her side. "You're the only person I know who'd put up with my crap for so long. Sometimes I think you're just going to walk away." 

"It's my life. I've come to accept it." 

Lina smirked. "You live a pathetic life," she said. 

"Thanks a lot," Zelgadis said. "I guess I deserve that for having a friend like you." 

Lina laughed and then she closed her eyes, still smiling. Zelgadis lightly grasped her shoulder and whispered she should really do her best to fall asleep. He intended to withdraw his hand from her shoulder afterwards, but Lina grabbed his hand. 

"I'm going ahead with this new plan I've got, but I'm still kinda…worried what's gonna happen," Lina said. She was blushing, but she didn't care since it was too dark for him to see too clearly. "Could you… I mean, it might help me sleep and I need my strength for—" 

"Wakatta (I got ya)," Zelgadis said. He rested his hand on her back and pulled her closer to his chest. "Just get some sleep before those circles under your eyes get any bigger." 

"Tomorrow you die," Lina said. She was smiling, though, and it was not long until she fell into a deep sleep. Perhaps it was because she had decided to do something that could give her closure on the whole Xellos thing that she was able to sleep. Then again, Zelgadis being by her side while she took a huge risk that was ultimately stupid was probably the best sleeping aide she could ever need.

* * *

Xellos set down his cup and rose from the table. He put a hand to his chin as he starting walking down the stairs. The knocking on his door returned for the fourth time. It wasn't like him to have unexpected guests nor was it typical that he could hear someone pounding on his thick door when he was upstairs in a closed room. It was possible it was some angry person out to seek vengeance on him, but before someone like that would even make it into town, Xellos would have gotten earful of it. It was also possible it was someone in trouble who had heard of his wealth and hadn't heard he didn't truly know the word "compassion." Xellos grinned at the latter possibility, hoping it was something that could entertain him for a few minutes. Regardless of who his visitor was, Xellos did not intend to be surprised nor let the person leave without receiving some kind of entertainment from him or her. 

The pounding came for the fifth time before Xellos opened it. "Hai," he said. "Can I…" 

It wasn't in his nature nor practical in his profession to show surprise, but Xellos was generally surprised. He wondered if he was dreaming because previously he had been drinking some nice warm tea and sitting in a chair positioned in the sun from the open window. Uncharacteristically he was daydreaming and perhaps that had led him to doze off without realizing it. If it was a dream, then he could be relieved that he didn't, for once, look genuinely confused. 

"A…Ano (U…Um)…" 

"What, are you going make me stand here all day?" 

Xellos smiled and cover his cheek with his hand. "Yare, yare (Oh, my), I don't even know what I should say." 

"How about, 'Do come in, Lina-san,'" Lina said, doing her best Xellos impression. 

"Do come in…Lina-san," Xellos said. He closed the door behind her. "I can't begin to think of what I should ask you. I'm really at a loss for words." 

"Let's keep it that way for a while," Lina said. She walked toward his kitchen. "We can talk after some lunch—I'm starving." 

Xellos lingered by the door, trying to shake off the surprise. It took a minute or two, but he finally did revert back to his normal self. "I don't know what's going on, but I am really enjoying these turns of events," he said. "This Kakurenbo game has ended much more interestingly than I ever thought possible…" 

**Final Chapter:** Lina tries to deal with her new information about Xellos. Xellos tries to understand why Lina has come back, though he has his ideas... And at a long last, we see what Xellos plans to do with Lina. Someone gets horribly wounded and Zelgadis is there to help as usual. Couldn't tell you when I'll get this one out, but I'll do my best. Thanks for reading!


	13. Draw

**Author's Notes:** Wow, I can't believe it's taken this long for the final chapter! I don't know if anyone is even still reading this story, but I wanted to finish something for once. I'm sorry that it's been quite a few years; I had a few complications. One being that I wrote the ending about 2 years ago, but it got deleted right as I was finishing it. I'm also sorry if the ending isn't fabulous—I really tried my best, but I'm rusty, for sure. If anyone was interested, I always intended to do a sequel, which is lightly suggested by the epilogue. On the fence about it now that so much time has passed. Anyway, enjoy!

Chapter Ten: Draw

Lina was a little unsettled by the lack of questions posed by Xellos the previous night. Actually, she was annoyed at first, hoping for some kind of shocked reaction displayed by posing the most obvious question—why did she return. Instead, Xellos got over his initial shock and asked her a less obvious question—where was Zelgadis. Lina didn't really answer the question, thinking that it would be dangerous for her friend's well-being. She figured the best answer for his protection was to say that she didn't know his location because he stormed off after she told him she was going back. Lina had anticipated the big question then, but it didn't come. She was tempted to ask him if he did want to know, but somehow she didn't want him to know how irritated she was.

As an opposite approach, she just finished her meal and retired in her room for the rest of the day with permission of Xellos. He agreed, expressing that she must have had some troubles along the way coming back to Hadin. Lina decided to not to pry into the real reason he was being so nonchalant about her return and allowing her to go to sleep early. It was an overabundance of decency that Lina knew Xellos was not capable of in a million years. However, she decided to take it as a godsend rather than scrutinize his objective. She actually got a pretty decent sleep (not as good as the previous night with Zelgadis), but one of the best she had while knowing Xellos was so close.

She awoke to neither Xellos hovering over her, nor to him requesting she do some random, pointless task. Instead, Lina found that her first encounter with Xellos that day was at breakfast. He was unusually quiet, which Lina interpreted as only two things. The second and least likely possibility was that he was speechless from either surprise or anger. Lina admitted he was surprised for a little while, but she was positive by now he was over it. She only allowed the faint possibility he was angry because he had said the thing two days ago about really wanting Lina gone. Being in front of Xellos again returned her doubt that his statement was true. So Lina went with the first explanation: he was merely overwhelmed by the number of things he could do now that she was back and simply hadn't decided on what he wanted to do first.

As soon as Xellos ended the silence Lina changed her mind slightly. If anything, he made it seem like she was a complete idiot for coming back. Not that Lina explained her reasons (she was more concerned with getting enough breakfast), but it wasn't as if she had an easy way word why she did come back. As Xellos seemed to suggest on his face and no doubt would say, it didn't make much of any sense.

Xellos laughed and rubbed his face a little. "Lina-san, I truly don't think I'll ever meet anyone like you again," he said. "I thought that I had you figured out, but you always manage to do something completely out of my comprehension."

"I feel the same way about you," Lina said. She drank a little water. "Anyway, I think the point you're getting to is that you think I'm stupid."

"I would never say something like that." However, Xellos smiled afterwards.

"I'm sure you wouldn't. Being so 'polite' and all."

"I might say that you are _foolish_, but never stupid. You're an intelligent woman, but…"

Lina stood. "Yeah, yeah," she said. "Does it really matter too much why I came back? There's no sense in analyzing the reason if it's what you really wanted."

"What I really wanted…you say…" Xellos said. He shook his head. "You told me that you were the elderly lady whom I drank with a couple of nights ago. Surely you haven't forgotten what I said?"

"No, I haven't," Lina said. She traveled down the long table until she was beside Xellos's chair. "Come on—you knew it was us."

"I'm fairly certain I told you I did not," Xellos said. He chuckled at her once again cynical expression. "Like I said, it was a great coincidence, for once. And even if I did know, why would I say that? To convince you to return? That should have sent you far from anywhere even close to Hadin. What would I gain from telling you that?"

"I…I don't know," Lina said. "But I'm positive there was a reason you said it."

"Yes…there was a reason."

Lina tensed. "And it was?"

Xellos didn't answer. Instead he left his chair and slowly walked out of the room as if Lina hadn't spoken. Of course, this made Lina quite irritated and she followed closely behind him. She had thought he was going to give her one of those indecisive replies like, "himitsu desu." That she could deal with. It was the kind of thing she had been dealing with from the very beginning with Xellos. Lina didn't know why he chose to be so infuriatingly secret. There was no doubt a reason for him to not disclose many things, but the way he chose to do it by being "cute" just seemed unnecessary and frankly a bit belittling. Then again, nothing was quite insulting as someone ignoring a question by leaving the room. Lina called after him countless times, expecting him to at least turn back and smile at her, but he simply continued to walk on and even went up stairs. The moment he ever dared to descend a stair Lina was compelled to grab him by his feet and drag him back down, but in light that she may make herself fall, she decided to wait until they reached the top. Xellos's intended destination suggested a room on the left side of the second floor, but Lina beat him to it and blocked his way. Xellos did stop, but he did not speak. In fact, he didn't even look Lina in the eye. His eyes just looked through her and his face gave no indication that he was anticipating a conversation.

"Why are you ignoring me?" Lina demanded. After a few seconds of silence she snapped her fingers. "Hello?"

"I'm sorry, Lina-san," Xellos said. He sighed. "There's a great many things I need to do in preparation for tomorrow. I suggest you find something to occupy yourself with while I am busy with my own affairs."

"What?" Lina grabbed Xellos's arm as he tried to go past her. "What is wrong with you?"

Xellos easily snapped his arm back, surprising Lina. "May I ask you a question instead, Lina-san?"

"Na…nani (Wha…What)?" Lina swallowed. That was about the most aggressive action he had taken against her since she had gotten into the mess.

"Why did you come back?" Xellos' expression almost seemed perturbed. "I cannot quite figure that out. It matters little what reason I had for saying something some nights ago in comparison to your capricious decision to return here."

"Why…why should it matter?" Lina said. "You wanted me to come back, right? If you got what you wanted, then why explain it?"

Lina barely let out a cry as Xellos grabbed her and pulled her into the room. He immediately locked the door behind him and then turned to her with an uncharacteristic expression. There was none of his free-spirited, joking traces in his face—at any second Lina expected him to frown, at the very least. Lina backed against a table, preparing to brace herself if Xellos did something violent. She could scarcely believe that moments ago they were sitting at a table having a conversation not unlike the thousands they had had before.

"Xellos…what are you—"

"I would very much appreciate an answer, Lina-san," Xellos interrupted. He walked up to her so that they were about six inches apart. "I believe that you owe it to me. Regardless of what you may think of me and what I do, you've caused me quite a bit of trouble. If only you could put yourself into my shoes and see things from my perspective, would you be able to see just how much trouble."

Lina's degree of discomfort lowered. "And just whose fault is it that all this trouble began?" she said. "I didn't want anything to do with you."

"Sou desu ne (That's right)," Xellos agreed. His smile surfaced, but it was layered with something Lina could almost call "regret." "I admit that it was my intention to have you indebted to me, but you cannot solely place all the blame on me."

Lina grimaced a little. It had been a while since she had remembered that it wasn't entirely Xellos's fault that she was in the mess she was in. There might have been other options for her to solve her earlier problem with money, but she had jumped on the first opportunity that had arisen. Technically, if she had simply raised the money she had owed Xellos (and not have forgotten about it), Lina would probably not seen Xellos's face for a long time.

"It was not I who broke a rare egg worth thousands of gold pieces," Xellos continued. "Nor was it I who signed a contract without thoroughly looking at it. One should always read a contract in detail before putting a signature, regardless of who made up the contract. Furthermore, Lina-san, you knew me well enough by that time that I was not a person you should easily trust. You could not have possibly thought you could owe me some money, pay me back, and that would be the end of it?"

Lina's face was turning red by now. This was not unlike Zelgadis pointing out her mistakes in trying to get away from Xellos. So she wasn't perfect in her executions—why did everyone have to throw that in her face?

"No…no I didn't."

"Well, then you should take a little responsibility yourself. In a sense, you are the one who allowed me to take this opportunity to take advantage of you."

"All right!" Lina said. She sighed. "I'm responsible for letting this mess happen. I don't always think about consequences."

"Now that that's settled, please answer my question," Xellos said. He faintly smiled, unable to hide his pleasure in bringing about an acknowledgment of her part.

"Why is so important?" Lina asked. Despite her knowledge that she was in a delicate situation with Xellos right now (she had no idea why his behavior was so unusual), she was hesitant about immediately answering that question. Frankly, she didn't want to. Zelgadis didn't even get a true answer. All he simply got was that she had to go back because she didn't want it to end with her simply in hiding. That was partially true, but not the whole truth.

"You do recall that I said that I had matters to attend to?" Xellos said. His voice was even, but the fact he even brought that up showed that he was a little impatient. "I do not have much time to have one of our long, delightful conversations. I just wish you to answer my question and then leave me to make some preparations for tomorrow."

His non-answer and referral back to tomorrow only posed more questions for Lina to ask. She wanted to ignore them for the sake of not angering Xellos, but she couldn't. Was something very important happening tomorrow that Lina would get in the way of? The way Xellos said it made it sound as though if Lina kept bothering him, he would be unable to complete the task he needed to do.

"What's so important about tomorrow?"

"Lina-san, please. I do not wish to get into that. It is nothing you should be concerned with."

"But why—"

"Lina-san." Xellos folded his hands together and tried not to raise his voice more than he already had. He noticed Lina had jumped, so he tried to calm himself. "Answer the question, please. I am not a man of short temper, but you are trying my patience."

_Why is he so pissed?_ Lina thought. If only she could do the same thing Xellos had done when he didn't want to answer a question that was not to his liking. Lina knew that Xellos would not allow her to walk away as if she had not heard him.

"I don't know," Lina said. It was the best thing she could come up with. Hopefully, it would satisfy him.

"You don't know, is it?" Xellos said. He gave her an empty smile and then turned his back to her. He folded his hands together again, but this time behind his back. "It's not impossible for me to believe you could do something as reckless as to return to a place that will most likely do you harm. Yet, I could not believe that you would do something so reckless without believing you could gain something from it. For instance, your little travel to the Houshu Forest. Quite unwise of you to try to take on a dangerous territory without gathering information or securing a trustworthy guide through it. The benefits of you going, however, are quite obvious. In this situation, nothing is obvious."

"Sometimes I just do things…" Lina said. She glanced at a nearby window. It was the second floor, but if she needed to leave in a hurry, it would be the best option. Somehow, she imagined that Xellos was going to explode in rage. Regardless of why he would be so furious, Lina was not eager to see the direct opposite of his "I'm-always-happy" mode. Even when he fought Zelgadis and was clearly peeved, he was "pleasant." Lina knew for a fact that even an inhuman person like him must have a really nasty angry side, but she had always hoped she'd be a mere spectator of it, not the recipient of his fury.

"Just a few minutes ago I acknowledged that you are an intelligent woman," Xellos said. "There's no possible way that you would just come back for no particular reason. Even if I wasn't up to anything, you endlessly complain about being in my presence. Really, if you were going to just come back, did I really need to stab your little friend?"

"Zel didn't get stabbed for nothing," Lina said. She decided not to argue that Xellos was mostly to blame for that happening. "I didn't plan to come back here from the beginning. At the spur of the moment, I decided to come out of hiding. I paid back most of what I owed for Zelgadis helping me anyway, thanks to your contribution."

"If he wanted compensation, he should have asked," Xellos said. "I would have paid him more to stay out of this mess than you would have for his assistance."

"He's not exactly your biggest fan," Lina muttered. "He'd rather help someone remove his own eyeballs with a rusty nail than help you in the least bit."

Xellos's chuckle sounded more like himself, and Lina mentally sighed. Their conversation had become more light and it was slowly moving away from the question Lina didn't want to answer. It was likely Xellos would soon turn back to the topic as he was "busy" with things Lina was in the dark about, but for the moment, she was glad that she didn't feel so cornered.

"I'm afraid he has helped me… Not that Zelgadis-san nor you, Lina-san, would realize it."

"What do you mean?" Lina gripped the table lightly when Xellos turned back to her with the classic "sinister" smile. That didn't mean anything good even if it were a sign he was back to his old self.

"I'll level with you, Lina-san," Xellos said. "It bothers me that I cannot determine the exact reason you've returned. Perhaps you've decided to counter my own secret plan with a plan of your own—I do not know. However, since you're so unwilling to give me the answer I desire, I will offer you an answer to the question you seem to want to know."

"Really?" Lina said. She narrowed her eyes. "A real answer? Not some bogus jumble of words that _could_ be true, but really aren't?"

Xellos once again didn't answer immediately. His face turned serious and moved in to close the distance between them. Lina, not thinking very rationally believed that she could move herself further back by pushing against the table that was already against the wall. She didn't see the reason he needed to get so close just to answer a simple question, which was no doubt hardly worthwhile. Lina expected to be disappointed by his response, as there was never a cause for Xellos to deliver when it came to something that seemed vaguely important to Lina herself.

"I did not want to say this because I should not have said what I said some days ago," Xellos whispered. He smile became wiry. "Then again, I did not expect you and Zelgadis-san to have a concoction that could induce sleepiness in me. I've become quite careless during my time around you."

"What are you getting at?" Lina said. She was surprised those were the words that came out of her mouth. Truly, her mind had been shouting to tell Xellos to return the space that had been between them.

"You know and I know that I brought you here as part of a plan to financially benefit me in some way," Xellos said. His voice seemed to drop even more. "I still will not say what it exactly is, but I will not continue to deny this is so."

"Oh, my, God…" Lina said. She could hardly be scared of the consequences of having Xellos so closely when he was giving her one of his rare moments of truth. "Even though it has been stupid for you to continue to lie about it, I cannot believe you just said that."

"The only reason I said that was to let you understand that I will answer your question truthfully," Xellos said. "It's not in my best interest to tell you, but I am slightly irritated that you won't tell me why I have the privilege of looking at you right now."

Lina took a few seconds to get over the fact that Xellos was going to be honest for a few minutes. It was even amazing that he admitted being irritated (and sounded irritated). Lina found this to be quite refreshing, but it did not make her uneasiness at answering his question go away. She wished that she could give him a half-assed answer like she had to Zelgadis and that would be the end of it. She knew by the seriousness of his manner that she could not get away with such a lack of sincerity. Lina released a breath and ran her hand through her hair.

"I couldn't stay hidden after that night," Lina said. Her eyes dropped to the hardwood floor. "It was driving me crazy."

"It?"

Lina's head tilted toward the floor a little more, causing some of her hair to cover her reddening face. "When you made that comment about being glad I was gone. I thought for a moment—for the first time—that you could…possibly…"

Xellos's laughter was not what Lina was expecting nor desiring. "Don't laugh!"

"I'm sorry, Lina-san. I could not help myself."

Lina folded her arms across her chest. "Yeah, yeah, it's really funny that I could be so stupid to think that. After all, that's been part of your plan from the beginning too. 'Get Lina Inverse to think that I actually like her, so she'll let her guard down.' I guess after being around you so much, even I could occasionally be tricked."

Xellos put his hands on her shoulders, making her jump a little. "Excuse me for my rudeness, but what is stupid, Lina-san, is that you refuse to believe me even when I do tell you something truthful," he said, voice going back into the region of a whisper. "Of course, I truly like you. I cannot say that for hardly anyone else, and I doubt I shall in the future, so you should realize this is not a common occurrence for me."

"Cut it out," Lina said. Her frown was unfortunately hard to keep. "Just about everything you say is a lie and most of them are said to fit some purpose of yours."

"Yet you cannot figure out the purpose of why I would say I was glad you were gone," Xellos said. "Although, I think that night I clearly explained why I said that. Something along the lines of I didn't want to see you fall into danger by my hands."

"I'm supposed to believe that?" Lina said. "You don't have feelings like a normal person! You would never, ever, stop thinking about yourself and your own gains and start thinking about the well-being of someone else! People like you don't have changes of hearts! You just live to deceive others and cause them pain!"

"Why are you so upset?" Xellos said, his voice the total opposite of hers. "If this is what you believe, then why does it make you so mad?"

"Because!" Lina said. She grabbed his wrists and pulled his arms away from her. "You just make me sick! And the fact I thought for any period of time that you might see someone else in this world besides Xellos Metallium makes me even sicker! I really, really don't like you."

Xellos snorted. "It's funny, but that's the first time you've said that to me," he said. He shook his head. "You've admitted that I'm a horrible person and just not pleasant to be around, but you've never right out said that you did or did not like me."

"It's obvious, isn't it?" Lina said. She drew in a breath. Now that she had said it, she felt relieved. Xellos was right, though, that she had never said it to him until just a minute ago. "Do I really need to spell it out?"

"Somehow you saying it just makes it seem even less true," Xellos said.

"What?" Lina was ready to strangle him. "Don't forget—you're the one who always lies."

"You lie quite often too, Lina-san," Xellos said. "Perhaps you don't like me as much as I like you, but you do like me to some degree."

"Don't flatter yourself," Lina spat. "There's nothing I enjoy about being with you nor even thinking about you."

Xellos smiled and lightly rocked on his heels. "Uso desu yo (That's a lie)."

"Uso ja nai (I'm not lying)."

Xellos's voice became sing-song. "Usotsuki (Liar)…"

"I'm not—"

"Usotsuki…"

"Xellos!" Lina grabbed him by the collar. "I'm not lying, damnit! Every moment with you is horrible! You drive me insane!"

Xellos tapped her lips with his index finger once, causing Lina an instant blush. "You're a bad liar, Lina-san," he said. "I should know."

"And what makes you so damn sure I'm lying this time?"

"Because of things like this."

Lina did expect Xellos, since he was in her discomfort zone, to try to pull something, yet at the same time it was as if she had no clue at all. Even as Xellos quickly brought her close to his body and drew his face towards hers until their lips were tightly fastened to one another, Lina could not respond as she knew she should. It was as if for the split second that she gave Xellos the opportunity to kiss her, she had an out-of-body experience. Perhaps it was the very surprise of him actually kissing her that caused her to have a moment of delusion and be able to think for some seconds that it wasn't happening to her. Of course, when it all came back to her, she did try to push him away. This was even more difficult than the last time he had kissed her because he pushed her forward on the table, causing her to lean back practically to the wall. His grip on her was hardly that light either, but Lina wasn't sure if that wasn't merely her imagination. Her mind wasn't able to clearly assess what was what.

Her inability to catch her breath wasn't helping any oxygen get to her head to clear up things for her because Xellos didn't seem to want to let the kiss end. She only was able to slightly draw in a breath as he pulled his lips away for a second only to immediately bring them back to Lina's. Lina wasn't sure if it was because this she was becoming lightheaded or just the kiss within itself. Regardless, Lina's heart felt like it was about to tear a hole through her chest. Soon, as she began to feel more weak, her gasps for air became more like whine. In truth, Lina didn't notice because she pictured herself managing to halfway get out Xellos's name so she could demand he stop. Not until her head cleared would she realize that she hadn't been able to produce any real words.

The moment Xellos truly released Lina, she didn't space out like she had during their business trip. She was still leaning against the table, drawing in deep breaths and trying to sort her feelings about everything. Anger wasn't the only thing she felt, but it was always the one that took the most precedence. Her anger was maintained by Xellos's smug smile across from her. Lina hadn't quite gotten herself together, but she shakily came forward from the table so that she was close enough to Xellos. She punched him hard across his face, but not as hard as she would have wanted to. Her hand was quivering a little, so the impact wasn't up to her normal standards.

Xellos held his red cheek, seeming no less pleased than he had before she had hit him. "Do you recall, Lina-san," he said, "when you mentioned that I often hold back when it comes to you?"

"What the hell…does that have to do…with anything?" Lina said. She was tempted to keep punching him until he stopped looking so satisfied.

"I know what kind of reflexes and power _you_ possess. If you wanted to, you could have stopped me from kissing you a moment ago. Don't tell me you didn't think it was coming."

"I—"

"How did you believe I was going to prove my point? By allowing you to dispute something else I said?"

"Xellos, you—" He wasn't exactly helping her catch her breath. If anything, Lina's frustration was making it harder for her to get back into a regular breathing pattern.

"Tapping your lips with my finger… It didn't occur to you that I might try to kiss you within the next couple of seconds?"

"Fine!" Lina said. She was pushing him away so she didn't have to see his smile so clearly. "I did realize it was coming! But that doesn't mean anything!"

"Really?" Xellos said. "You 'really, really don't like' me, right? So you should fight tooth and nail to make sure I never touch you with my 'disgusting' hands."

"Shut the hell up," Lina said. "I couldn't help it—my body froze, okay?"

"Just froze, of course."

"Of course! I'm not used to defending myself against lechers!"

Xellos sighed. "Honestly, Lina-san, you really want to fight this to the very end, don't you?" he said.

"I'm not going to sit back and let you say whatever you like about me," Lina said. She gave herself a little time to recover yet another lung-full of air. "I can almost ignore that you like me on some perverted level, but I'd rather die than let you believe I like you back. I'll do whatever it takes to make sure you know the truth."

"Truth…" Xellos echoed. "I have not fully answered the question you wished to know—about the reason why I said what I did."

Lina waved her hand. "I don't care anymore," she said. "I'm satisfied enough with what I've observed from you."

"I would like to give you a more detailed answer, despite the risks," Xellos said.

"Don't do me any favors." She frowned because it didn't appear that he was listening to her.

Xellos's voice was barely audible, but it was as if he was saying it directly into her ear. "I truly wanted to protect you."

"Xellos—enough!"

"I was angry at first that you had gone off with Zelgadis-san and wanted to immediately get revenge against him, but soon I came to appreciate his interference. For without it, I would have indeed had to bring you back here according to the plan."

"I don't want to hear anymore! I don't care!"

Lina had little hopes Xellos would actually stop telling her what she didn't want to know, especially since his gaze wasn't even focused on her. She didn't know why he decided to go on, nor why he was being so quiet about it. The way he was carrying on, Lina wouldn't have been surprised if he still continued to explain himself even after she was gone. But why even bother? Lina wouldn't believe what he said; she was already convinced that if Xellos felt anything for her, it was something physical. If it was nothing more than that, Lina could handle it. She couldn't stand to hear him try to make it more than it was. By doing so, Lina simply figured that he wanted to, in a sense, seduce her so he could finally do all the things Lina thought he was merely teasing about. She was a little more than positive that if she were to openly give Xellos a chance, he would be all over her in a minute. Lina wasn't going to let that happen by allowing his testimonies of "real" feelings affect her.

"That's why I feel that Zelgadis-san has indirectly assisted me. I was given the opportunity to believe it was too late for my plan to still work, and what my feelings were about that being so."

"God, it never ends…" Lina said. She put her hands over her ears, more so in a gesture to signify she didn't want to hear any more, but it did not mute Xellos's sound in spite of his low volume.

"My superior would have been highly displeased—the repercussions of my failure are something that may not even be worth it. After all, I do not have nor do I really think I ever will have a significant relationship with you. So I ought to really go through with the plan and save myself the trouble of doing what I've always believed was the result of doing anything "good" for someone else: absolutely nothing."

Lina took Xellos's head in her hands and turned his head toward her until he met her gaze. "Why won't you stop playing around with me?" she said. "If you want to cause me harm so that you can add more millions upon the great number you already have, then just do it. Stop these stupid psychological games."

"Although I find those to be most entertaining with you, it's no longer my intention to do such things, Lina-san," Xellos said. His voice returned to normal as did his "jolly" expression. "I would love for our paths to cross again, whether it's favorable or not. But once I implement my scheme, that would most likely never happen."

"Because you intend to somehow cause my death and gain money from it," Lina said, recalling his past statement. She dropped her hands from his head.

"Things like this are but so common for me," Xellos said. He shrugged. "I suppose you could call it a quite efficient way to deceive someone for a profit. With the person being dead, you don't have to worry yourself with trifling things such as he or she coming back to enact some kind of revenge against you."

"You said a lot of things, that I think are just bull shit, about you not wanting to go through with your original plan. I'm sure that by now I've messed up your procedure a good bit, so it's not clear to me whether you still desire or are still able to go through with your scheme."

Xellos continued to smiled quietly at her, but for a few seconds his lips twitched just slightly as if he would not be able to maintain it. "…Now that you have returned," he said, "I have no choice but to go through with it. With you in hiding, I might have been able to defend my failure, but not while you're at my own house. I have the obligation of fulfilling my duties to my best abilities."

"You're nothing more than a 'yes-man,' aren't you?" Lina said. It was true that she might need be more concerned with the fact that Xellos was determined to do her in all for the sake of increasing the amount of gold he owned, but Lina was comfortable with that. She almost looked forward to him going through with it so that she could not only have the satisfaction of destroying his plan, but also have some peace of mind about the "real" Xellos. She didn't really consider Xellos to be real in many aspects since he lived his life to serve someone else, gaining monetary compensation in exchange for his puppet-like lifestyle. He rarely revealed his true feelings and always contemplated how his superior would be affected in an action he took before he even decided whether he would do something. There was no need for Lina to waste precious energy searching for something more in Xellos. All she need do was thwart any attempts to end or ruin her life, and all would be well. Her time with Xellos would be up and she could hold her head higher knowing that she countered him head on instead of just fleeing.

"Remember that I have very little free power over the things I do," Xellos said. He was curious as to why she smiled a little after he said that, but he decided not to ask about it. "As I also said, I am able to live so comfortably and lavishly because of that."

Lina shook her head and went to unlock the door with the key Xellos had tossed in a drawer near his current standing position. "You can do whatever you like, Xellos," she said. "I'm confident that even you won't be able to so easily kill me with my eyes wide open for an attack. Nor will I allow you to make my life hell or whatever it was that you said was the least of what could happen. I like the life I've been living, and I have no intention of letting someone get in the way of it. So, I'm sorry to say you won't be making a coin off me."

"I hope that's true, Lina-san," Xellos said as she walked out the door. Once she was gone, he turned back to where she had been standing. "Because I am certain that I will either ruin or end that life of yours that you've become so accustomed to…"

* * *

Zelgadis felt many things at that moment. Relief, for one. He had been quite worried since Lina had left as if she had intentionally jumped into a pool of flesh-eating ants. That feeling had stayed with him until he had realized for once he didn't really have to do anything else for his friend. He knew, of course, she would contact him for help if things got too hot for her to handle (which Lina assured they wouldn't), but essentially he did not have to look for her nor go to Xellos's house and try to sneak her out. This feeling of no obligations to honor would have been incredibly liberating, had Zelgadis not had to deal with several attacks upon his return to the "real world." The whole day Zelgadis had been by himself, he had about three hours where he was left in "peace." He had been attacked too much in his sleep to try to do so anymore at that point and except for the moment, he hadn't tried to eat anything. Luckily for him, it did not seem that most of his attackers were of a fighting level that he could not handle. In fact, Zelgadis found his little non-stop battle in Charmin more difficult than the past twenty-four hours.

In between wondering how long his uncle would be angry at him, Zelgadis found the time to be angry at Lina's stupidity. Rather, he was more angry that he allowed her to return to Xellos with such a stupid reason. Basically, it was just something she _had_ to do. Zelgadis really had wanted to tell her it was the most full of crap thing he had heard her say in a long time. The only thing that prevented him was her look that said "nothing you say will change my mind." Zelgadis decided it would be better for himself to take his payment for helping her and enjoy a little break from her. Not that he knew beforehand that his little break would be avoiding getting stabbed, beaten, choked, or burned. Still, when he compared that to doing anything concerning Xellos, it was like a breath of fresh air. Not unlike his current lunch, which was refreshing not only due to the fact he was starving and tired. Relieved as he may have been, he was not without a twinge of anger, anxiety, and confusion.

Zelgadis wiped off his mouth with his napkin. "Don't you think you should be monitoring him?" he said. He quickly slid his plate closer to himself, catching Lina eyeing his drumstick.

"No way," Lina said. She pretended not to have any interest in his meal. "He was acting so strange, I thought he might actually throw me out of a room."

"How long are you going to be here?"

"What, are you ready to see me go back already?"

"That's not what I mean. I mean, of course, that—" Zelgadis paused to fork a meat-filled bun Lina was casually trying to grab. "As I was saying…"

"Come, on, do you expect me to sit here and do nothing while you stuff your face in front of me?" Lina said.

"Aa (Yeah)," Zelgadis said. He popped the bun in his mouth and chewed thoughtfully for a minute and swallowed. "Don't ruin the only bit I've gotten to eat since I last saw you."

Lina crossed her arms. "Some friend you are," she muttered. "I might be dead by tomorrow."

"You don't act like a woman about to die," Zelgadis said, disinterested in her pleas. "Are you sure that Xellos is going to have you killed? What's the point in that?"

"This is Xellos; he doesn't have to have a point." She glared at Zelgadis as he enjoyed another bun from a basket in front of him.

"Is he really going to kill someone he likes?" Zelgadis said. When Lina's glare took a new intensity upon him, he raised his hands in defense. "We both agreed that he likes you, regardless if it's in his own sick, twisted way, so there's no harm in mentioning it."

Lina held her forehead. "I'll just be so glad when all of this is over…"

"Even if it means you'll be dead."

"There are few things that seem worse than this Xellos thing." Lina leaned back in her chair. "For once, I wished I had more of an idea of what's gonna happen. Usually I don't mind making up a plan as I go, but this time…"

"Xellos could really end up doing something to kill you. I hate to admit it, but after fighting him twice, I can't be stubborn enough to say he's incapable of killing me. That's proof enough for me that he could do the same for you."

Lina closed her eyes and sighed. "I don't think I'll be fighting Xellos to stay alive. It's most likely that he'll lead me to my death—he's not the type to do many things directly, if he can help it."

Zelgadis nodded in agreement, and the two fell into a silence. Zelgadis didn't have anything he thought would be good advice to offer her, and Lina wanted a few seconds to clear her mind of thoughts of what Xellos might have under his sleeve. As Zelgadis had suggested it might be best for her to go back to Xellos's house and make sure that he wasn't setting a trap for her while she was away, nor was doing anything in accordance with his plan that she might be able to prevent. She was stubbornly ignoring him as she often did to prevent him from being right about things, but her reluctance to return was solely based on the fact that Xellos was acting a little too weird for her tastes. What if some else happened like from a moment ago? She had no desire to go back to the house and let Xellos try to convince her that his feelings for her were real, or worse, experience some of the irritation he had expressed. Of course, if she was really fearful of such a thing, she would have completely changed her mind about taking Xellos head on and turned around to get out of Hadin as quickly as possible.

Lina's chair landed on the floor loudly as she put hand to her chin. A disturbing thought came to her, though she was not sure why it even came into her head. Was this also part of Xellos's new plan? His old plan would surely be for her to be occupied with some ridiculous chore while he set the stage for her horrible conclusion; if she considered his statement of wanting to keep her safe being true, then his new plan could have been to repulse her so much that she would change her mind for whatever reason she had for returning. Could his strange behavior been only a ruse to send Lina away and deter her from ever returning to his house? Lina found that the latter reasoning had some validity to it, when she thought of the oddity of Xellos allowing her to leave his house on her free will in the first place. He hadn't done that in a long time, and certainly not after she had escaped from him in the Houshu Forest. Lina, from the moment she had decided to see if she could catch up with Zelgadis, had thought Xellos's reluctance to stop her from leaving was only to initiate his plan. Had she been terribly mistaken and he was once again trying to protect her?

Lina calmed a bit when she found some evidence to dispute that. Xellos had made it clear that he could not allow himself to deviate from his plan now that she was again so close to him. If he did, she was sure he would have to suffer a much greater consequence than if he had tried his best to get the plan to work, but was unable to defeat her cunning. Lina drew in a breath and nodded to herself. Xellos was loyal to his superior to a "T"; he made it clear that there was little he wasn't willing to do to satisfy his mistress. Even if he did like Lina in a way that was unlike any other person he knew, Xellos wasn't anything close to in love with her. That, even if it were Xellos, would then be a different matter. If someone like him would be able to develop a heart capable of that emotion, Lina could believe he would betray his superior for the sake of rescuing the only person who had stirred that emotion within him. Lina didn't believe she was that person, nor did she think such a person would ever exist for him. Lina also had no desire to be that person. It was bad enough he even liked her, but for that to develop into something like love would be one of the worst possible things Lina could imagine.

The best way to imagine to him as an enemy, mainly because it was a more predictable relationship. Xellos was a clear-cut adversary, to some extent. If Lina thought about the way he treated Zelgadis, it wasn't hard to think about the dynamics of their bond; Xellos wanted him dead or beaten to a pulp at the very least, and Zelgadis was only slightly of different feelings. Lina found that, being a woman of quite a number of enemies, to be a much more comforting relationship. How would a Xellos in love be? Since Xellos seemed to be frighteningly abnormal in every other aspect, Lina had no doubts his perception of love would be a horrible perversion of what it should be. Besides, wouldn't it be a contradiction? If he were to fall in love, then he wouldn't quite be Xellos. True, much about him was contradiction like his forever smiling façade covering his rotten insides, but Lina pictured something like love breaking Xellos down and almost literally dissolving him into nothing. If Xellos were a virus, love would be the injection that caused it to be cured.

"Oi (Hey), what's on your mind?" Zelgadis said.

Lina breathed as if Zelgadis had just yanked her out of the water before she had drowned. "Nothing," she said. "Just randomly thinking about stupid things. But you're right. I need to go back and finish this thing. Taking my eyes off of him is like taking a nap in a scorpion pit."

Zelgadis felt somewhat relieved by her following wink, after noticing that she was lying about something being on her mind. Somehow he could tell it wasn't about Xellos trying to kill her, but some kind of other threat, he supposed, that she had realized. He would have liked to have more details about what that might have been, but he had little confidence that Lina was going to share. As everything was originally her problem, he knew he didn't exactly have the complete right to demand she let him know everything.

"Just don't forget that I'll be close by whether you need me or want me to be," Zelgadis said as Lina started to get up.

Lina nodded. "I know, thanks." She smiled at him as she got ready to leave. "What's with that face? Shouldn't you be glad that you get a break from all of my mess?"

Zelgadis's eyes were settled on the plate in front of him. "Yeah."

"Zel—" Lina prepared to reach out to him, but stopped as he started eating again as he had been before Lina came along.

"Hurry up and get out of here," Zelgadis said in between bites. "How much longer do you intend to interrupt my only possible meal of the day?"

Lina laughed a little and waved to him as she walked away. "I gotcha. See you later then!"

Zelgadis dropped his utensils promptly after Lina had left the establishment and gazed toward the exit, halfway wishing she would come flying back in demanding how he could let her go back there again by herself.

"Later seems too far away…" he murmured to himself.

* * *

Lina sighed as she stepped carefully down a hallway on the third floor. It wasn't that Xellos's house was particularly lively with him being the only other person there, but that day it seemed incredibly quiet as if someone had go through and sealed off every conceivable sound possible. If it weren't for the way Xellos had kept referring to all the preparations he would need to do for the following day, Lina might have thought he wasn't there. No, even that fact wasn't the real reason she continued to inspect each room for signs of the man; it was her Xellos-sixth sense acting again. He was nearby, she could tell. Of course, whenever she wanted to find him, it was impossible to do so right away. Whenever she wanted him to be far away, that was when he was the closest. She contemplated doing such kind of action that would indicate she didn't want him around, which in the past had always proven to make him appear out of thin air. She doubted whatever she may pretend to do now would not help her find Xellos like magic.

She opened another door slowly, peeking her head in around the room for any evidence that Xellos was there or had been there. Lina didn't think it was quite necessary to actually enter any of the rooms, as she doubted that Xellos was in fact hiding from her. If that were so, Lina would really be convinced that Xellos was not acting like himself. Even though she had once seen him hide from someone, the situation was much different. If he were purposely running away from Lina right now, she would definitely think he was a coward. Maybe in some sense he was always a bit of a coward, as he chose to live his life through manipulating others instead of having enough courage to make a living through his own efforts. Yet, in other ways he was fearless in the way he schemed and broke the law without worry that one day it may actually punish him. Killing didn't make him blink an eye, nor did he have concern for the vast amount of enemies that he accumulated most likely on a daily basis.

Upon thinking of such things, Lina found herself treading even lighter on her feet as she turned a corner in the hall. Xellos always pretended to be cute or innocent around most people, so it was easy to forget how dangerous of a person he was. Of course, Lina knew the fact that one could be fooled into believing he was a harmless fool made him one of the most dangerous people she had met.

Lina's heart started to beat faster as she investigated another door to find no trace of Xellos. Was this a trap as well? Maybe he had just been waiting for her to leave so he could trap her in the house. That, of course, made her hand shake as she cupped her ear against the door of yet another room, but she had made her decision to come back and face Xellos head on, and she wasn't going to turn tail and run now before anything had even happened yet.

Lina sighed for the second time as she reached the last door and still had no clue where Xellos was. She dropped her head of the wall that marked the end of the hall. "What the hell is that guy up to?" she murmured to herself.

If only Xellos would just plainly lay out what he had in store for her, she could hurry up and foil his plans and get on with her life. It seemed to have been such a long time since she had been living her own life that Lina hadn't decided or taken the time to consider what she was going to do after all the Xellos business was said and done. Perhaps that was in part because she had some doubt that everything would work out fine. Sure, in most cases Lina could attest that in the end she managed to keep her head afloat, but this was Xellos. Against her record of victory by a lot of good luck and his record (as far as she knew) of always getting what he wanted one way or the other, who would be victorious? Lina's luck was strong, but strong enough to battle against an evil like Xellos? She wasn't going to bet money on herself just yet.

"Geez!" Lina said, lifting her hand to smack the wall. Just before she made contact, a thud came from what seemed to be deep beyond the wall, and her hand froze in front of it.

Lina's brows lowered and she began feeling up and down the wall. Near the legs of a table at the right corner of the wall she found an indent in the wall, which she pressed and a flap of the wall came loose beside her. She lifted it further forward to reveal a narrow, sloped passageway that could only accommodate an average sized person at most. As Lina entered and descended the dark path without a second thought, she was for once grateful that she was not average height. Although she did wonder why Xellos, who was rather tall, would make the ceiling too low for himself. Was he crawling down there? Lina wondered if that was an indication that perhaps this was not an entrance to something that Xellos used.

After a brief moment of walking downwards, the path leveled as a light became visible in the distance. Now Lina could hear muffled talking and saw that the source of the light was from underneath a door at the end of the path. Lina approached the door and put her ear to it. She could make out some random words and recognized Xellos as one of the speakers. She couldn't tell who the other person was, but it was clear that the person was male.

Lina figured that if Xellos had to resort to coming down into such an area, he would probably think that no one would find him in such a place and perhaps leave the door unlocked. She tried the doorknob to find it unfortunately locked. For a second it seemed to be a fairly good idea to just bust in, but Lina knew that once she entered the scene, all their talking would cease, and she would be no less in the dark than before she kicked down that door. She frowned and put her ear to the door hard and strained to pick up some actual sentences.

"…looking forward…nuisance…" she was able to make out that much from the unknown voice.

"…will enjoy…tomorrow…"

"…because…rumors…missing…"

Lina could hear Xellos's laughter and wondered what was amusing about Mr. Unknown's comment. "…safely…my grasp…"

"…nothing less…lackey…"

"…honor…words…"

Lina could halfway piece together what wasn't being said and knew Mr. Unknown was involved in Xellos's plans for her tomorrow. However, she didn't have much time to think very deeply about why the nature of their conversation and their location to have it because she began to hear footsteps coming her way. Lina quickly ducked into a corner next to the door, knowing that it was impossible for her now to escape the way she came without having them discover her. Although, it was quite possible that they would discover her once the door opened.

Luckily the little nook by the door was enough to keep her from being detected as Xellos and his guest exited the room and headed back up the hallway. Lina waited a few minutes before she moved from her flattened position behind the opened door. She expected a little that Xellos would be there when she moved the door out of the way or that she would encounter him along the way as she went back up the secret path. She was most cautious about trying to move the flap of the wall again now that it was closed. Before even thinking about exiting she put her ear to the wall to hear if anyone was still around. If only Xellos was a loud breather or something, would that have given her a chance of detecting him nearby. Lina swallowed and ever-so slowly pushed against the wall until it opened up again. She poked out her head just enough that she could scope the area, finding not a soul, and finally walked out and closed the flap shut again. She continued to tread carefully, watchful of any sign of anyone as she made her way to the stairs and back down to the first floor.

The house was as silent again as it had been before, which led Lina to believe that Xellos's guest had already gone. Nothing suggested that Xellos was gone, so she tried to act as casual as possible as she walked around downstairs, hoping to find that he was gone. If he were still there, she hoped to get away before he noticed her.

Lina decided to go to the first floor study first to see if he was wrapping up some details about what he had discussed with his mystery guest. Lina was surprised to find that his study room door was wide open and there was no trace of Xellos there. The strange appearance of the room made Lina's caution radar go into overdrive. She turned in the opposite direction, trying to make her way back to the stairs. As she tried to turn a corner a bit too quickly in her haste, she found that she ran into what she thought at first was the wall. However, for a wall it was much less hard and warmer.

Lina unwillingly meet eyes with Xellos who was looking at her with a curious smile. Naturally, her first thought was to complain about him not looking where he was going, but she held her tongue, being a bit nervous at finding him. He truly lived up to the idea of only showing up when Lina was trying to avoid him.

"Oya (Oh, my), are you back already?" Xellos said. The droop of his brow suggested that he was regarding a simple-minded person. "Didn't you and Zelgadis-san have a good time?"

Lina hid her surprise well. "Oh? And how do you know I was with him?" she said. "You been spying on me?"

"Don't be silly," Xellos said, waving his hand. He walked past her, but continued to speak as if she were going to follow. Lina, did, however, follow. "Where else would you go besides to your precious friend's side?"

Lina stood at Xellos's back, as he rummaged through some books resting in the lower row of a grand half-circle bookcase. She suspected that he was pretending to be searching for something in one of the books, as Lina couldn't imagine that he had a sudden desire to read. She released a dubious snort.

"Even though you were the one that said Zelgadis had helped you," Lina said, folding her arms over her chest, "you sound like you still hate him quite a lot."

Xellos laughed as if finding an amusing part in the book he was currently holding. "I doubt that I'll ever like Zelgadis-san." He slowly raised his eyes from the book, a disturbing grin appearing on his face. "Even now I think that it would still benefit me to just finish him off. But I'm not really one to be killing off people with no real reason, so of course, I'm not going to do anything right now. I'm not a maniac or anything."

"If you're able to joke like that then it seems that you're back to your normal self," Lina said. She watched Xellos carefully as he cheerfully put a book back and then stepped over to the side to go through some others. "So…are you ready for tomorrow?"

Again Xellos didn't meet eyes with her, but he did look out into the distance. "Ee (Yes), everything should go as planned," he said.

Lina for a moment almost thought she should try one last time to get the truth out of him. She shook her head slightly. Even if Xellos seemed to be back to his "normal" self, she knew that things between her and Xellos weren't the same as they were before. Not that they were wonderful before, but now Lina wasn't quite sure where she stood with him. She wanted to believe that at the end of this Xellos mess, she would again know clearly what to make of Xellos. Actually, Lina really hoped that she would be able to move on and never think about him again.

"Is there anything I should be doing while you're occupied with your oh-so-important business tomorrow?" Lina finally said. By that time Xellos had started climbing up a ladder to one of the upper level rows. She wondered if he was only doing so to put more distance between them.

"Oh, I have a task I want you to complete."

"A task?" Lina actually took the time to look up at him to see if he was being serious. "And what might that be?"

"Nothing that difficult," Xellos said. He waved a hand, holding a book. "If you have the urge, I don't mind if you bring Zelgadis-san along with you. If you go together you may be able to finish it faster."

"Hoh, are you trying to tell me that you want to kill us both in one big swoop?" Lina said. She was mostly amused by his suggestion rather than worried that she wouldn't be able to figure out what he was up to.

Lina could see his dastardly smile easily from below, although she might have enhanced it in her personal view after hearing his similarly toned laugh. "Don't be ridiculous, Lina-san," he said. "Why on earth would I kill the both of you in the same way? At any rate, I wouldn't dare let someone else take away the pleasure of killing Zelgadis-san myself."

Lina made a disgusted face and decided with that she would just walk away from him. After about two steps a book nearly fell on her feet. She quickly went to glare up at Xellos, but was surprised to meet eyes with him. The look in his eye was intense, so Lina was worried that he was going to say something strange again. She swallowed and waited for him to say something.

"I'm going to do everything in my power to make sure that tomorrow goes well," he said. Xellos stared hard at her as if wanting to convey something that Lina just wasn't able to understand. "I won't let you get in the way of that, Lina-san."

"Heh." Lina, opposed to feeling threatened by what he said, felt relieved that he was acting like his typical despicable self. She bent down and picked up the book he had thrown. "Too bad for you I'm not giving up my life so easily."

Xellos easily caught the book Lina tossed back at him with a smug smile. "I hope that you can keep saying that." He watched her walk away, waving her hand. "I really do."

* * *

Lina sat up in her bed, instinctively knowing that it was morning (since a lack of windows told her nothing). She hadn't slept a wink the night before and doubted that Xellos had either because she had checked his room a few times in her insomnia. Now that she was opening his door, she saw that his bed was as neatly made as it was throughout the rest of the day. Relaxing now that Xellos was nowhere to be found, Lina stretched her tired limbs. As she drew her arm behind her back and tugged on her forehead, she looked out the window. It was ironically a really beautiful day, with not a cloud in the sky. Lina sighed and rested her head against the windowsill. As she stared at the sunrays coming from between the leaves in the trees in the distance, she envied the birds who were allowed to sit upon the branches and pick at the dew upon them. Watching them move around from spot to spot freely, she imagined herself just bolting from the mansion and never looking back again. She shook her head, pulled herself away from the window and did a few more stretches before she made her way downstairs.

Lina wasn't too surprised that coming into the kitchen, she found Xellos sitting at the head of the table, reading a book and enjoying a cup of tea. In front of him there was an elaborate breakfast laid out. The steam was still steadily rising from the majority of it. As Xellos was doing nothing but lazily sipping from his cup, Lina could assume that it was all for her. At this point, Lina couldn't even afford a second to be surprised. It was more like she wouldn't expect anything less.

Lina sat down across from him and started filling her plate until things were just hanging off the sides. She raised her fork, intending to start shoveling, but she quickly changed her mind and started to eat more thoughtfully. It wasn't that she wanted to really think about anything else (she had spent enough time doing that last night while she hadn't been sleeping). It just occurred to her that she should take the time to actually savor some of the delicious food she had in front of her. With the day being such a great mystery, she had no idea whether she would be enjoying dinner that night. And there were so many different experiences dancing around in her mouth at the moment. Sweet, tangy, rich, light, crunchy, creamy—there were all kinds of items to delight Lina's palette. Each forkful she took of something seem to compensate for the lack of sleep she had gotten and released her from the idea that she wouldn't see another day. If Xellos had poisoned the food, she could have died happy at that moment. That was about the only thought she had of him during her meal: why was he not kind enough to at least kill her with some kind of dish that was deadly tasty? That would probably be the only situation where she could have forgiven him for her death.

Lina raised a brow as she wiped some sauce from the corner of her mouth. It seemed that Xellos had said something. She wasn't quite sure because she had been completely immersed in the glazed meatballs and roasted potatoes she had been devouring. She only gave him a quizzical look rather than bothering to speak to him.

"I said once you finish eating, I want you to get on the task I spoke to you about earlier," Xellos said, not looking up from his book.

Lina grabbed a dish of sliced, sautéed fish and asparagus and slide the contents onto her own plate. She became more concerned with her food again. "It would be nice to know what I should do."

"Just a simple exchange."

"Exchange?" Lina was only repeating the part she had heard over her own chewing.

"I forgot that I was supposed to hand over an item to a customer of mine today, but since I already have arrangements, I can't be there."

"How convenient for you." Lina licked her lips, trying to figure out what it was that made it so good. "How about you just re-schedule it?"

Xellos laughed, making it unclear if he was responding to her comment or to an amusing part in his book. "These aren't the kind of people that you can back out on," he said.

"Sounds like if I back out on you, you'll be having some trouble," Lina said. She bit into an apple while scooping some oatmeal sprinkled with nuts and cinnamon into a bowl.

Xellos flipped a page in his book, looking relatively pleased. "Interesting," he said. "I already let them know of the names of the people who are now in charge of getting them their goods."

Lina stopped chewing to fix a glare upon Xellos. He remained unaffected and poured himself another cup of tea. Lina was tempted to continue to act unimpressed by anything he was saying, but she had taken particular notice now that he mentioned it wasn't just Lina's name that these people knew, but most likely Zelgadis's too. As much as she wanted to stick close to Xellos and not do his bidding, he left her with little choice. She could only assume that when she returned from her little task, Xellos would have his little death trap set up for her. However, she didn't understand why Xellos was pushing for them to be together if he didn't have it in for her friend as well.

"Are you sure you're not trying to get rid of Zelgadis today too?"

Xellos took a sip before answering her. "Nothing of the sort. That is, I mean to say that if anything happens today that endangers his life, it wouldn't be because of anything I particularly planned."

"Ah, sou (I see)." Lina finished off the apple and spun her spoon around in her oatmeal. "Great."

"What, are you disappointed I'm not targeting Zelgadis as well?"

Lina narrowed her eyes at the mushy contents of her bowl after hearing Xellos snort after that. "Of course not," she said. She sighed and began to eat again.

"Lina-san."

Xellos was forced to look up from his book, finding that Lina was either ignoring him or engrossed in her eating again. She was eating very dedicatedly, which he found interesting enough to not immediately call her out right away and watch her just as dedicatedly. Just as he was saying her name, Lina met eyes with him and he cut himself off. They entered into a silence that was possibly only uncomfortable for Lina.

"What is it, Xellos?" Lina finally said. Her fingers itched to pick up a knife and toss it his way.

"Be careful."

"Excuse me?" Air seemed to go down the wrong pipe after she said that and she ended up with a fit of coughs. She braced herself against the table and let the fit pass before speaking again. "Did you just tell me to _be careful_?"

Xellos snickered very lightly and turned a page in his book as he his eyes dropped back upon it. "Well, of course," he said. "I wouldn't want anything to happen to ruin the little exchange today. You'll find that I put the box you're to deliver in the second floor study. There's also a map and directions with it."

Lina clenched her spoon until she was sure it was bent at least a little. "Yeah, of course," she said. Although by then Lina had nearly wiped out the entirety of the tables dishes, she quickly finished her bowl of oatmeal and ended her meal there. She wondered why it was that when she got up and left without a word, she was most annoyed that Xellos had not a word nor a glance left to spare for her.

* * *

Zelgadis trailed a little behind Lina, staring at the box she was balancing on her shoulder as she walked. They had been walking for some time now and it had failed to fall off. He wasn't sure whether or not he should be impressed by that or not. Theoretically, it should have fallen off the moment she made her first step.

"Lina, this doesn't make sense to me."

"I already told you before that when I made my decision to fight Xellos that I wasn't planning on making any sense."

"Even so…" Zelgadis found himself tempted to knock the box off and then recommend that they just take off. At least if the delivered good was ruined, it would mean that they couldn't go along with the trade in the first place.

"We pass this over to some guy and then we're done," Lina said. She kicked a rock out of her way as she walked. "Sounds easy enough to me."

"This is Xellos we're talking about," Zelgadis said. He bent down to pick up a rock. "Nothing is easy with him."

"Do you want to argue with me, or do you want to help me?" Lina said, glancing back at him just as he was aiming his rock. "What are you doing?"

Zelgadis froze for a moment, debating whether he should just knock down the box anyway, or if he should play it off. He reluctantly went with the second option and dropped the rock back to the ground. "What if that box is a bomb or something?"

"Then I would have overestimated Xellos," Lina said, turning back to the front. "He said he wasn't trying to kill you too."

"Yeah, that's why he asked me to help you today," Zelgadis said, folding his arms over his chest. "Because he loves it when I help you do things."

"Listen, I'm just about through trying to figure out what's going on in that twisted mind that occupies space in Xellos's head," Lina said, her eyes drifting to the sky, "but the sooner I do what he wants, the sooner this can be over. If I fight him more than I have to, I'm just gonna end up making things more complicated."

"Lina, I don't care if you don't want me to, I'm going back with you to Xellos's mansion after this."

"Zel—"

"If you argue with me, I'll make sure we never make it to this exchange point."

"How are you going to do that?" Lina said, more amused than she should have been in the situation. After that it was if she had blinked and the box was in Zelgadis's hands. "Hey…!"

"I don't mind playing 'keep away' all day if it means that I'll keep you beside me."

Lina tried to mix an angry look among her look of gratitude. "That's not what we agreed upon the other day," she muttered. "You said you'd be around if I needed you—"

"When Xellos sends you out to do something this suspicious on the most suspicious of all days," Zelgadis said, spinning the box on his finger, "there's no way I'm just going to sit back in the shadows and let you handle this. I was going to let you be stupid on your own, but there's no point I that because in the end I'm just going to end up stupid with you."

Lina raised her fist above Zelgadis's head. "Sorry for being so stupid," she said, while letting him have it, "that it's contagious."

"I've been infected a long time," Zelgadis said, holding his head and moving a little away from her. "Don't worry about it."

"I won't worry about the fat knot on your head," Lina muttered.

The two of them stared at each other. Zelgadis readied himself for another sudden attack from Lina who was glaring at him. This all lasted about ten seconds before they broke down in laughter. Lina wasn't even sure why they were laughing in such a situation, but it felt so good to do so, that she didn't even care. Zelgadis moved closer to her again and started teasing her that if she had spread her stupid to Xellos a little more, maybe he would be stupid enough to let his guard down. Lina was content that even if it was her last day, she was laughing at that moment and able to joke back with her best friend.

"I'm sure that it's rubbed off on him," Lina said. She laid her hand on his shoulder. "He was dumb enough to let us get together today. No matter what he's up to, there's no way he's gonna succeed if there's the two of us!"

"Got that right," Zelgadis said. He smiled very lightly and turned his gaze to the sky. "Maybe that stupid disease of yours is why he likes you…"

Zelgadis jumped as he felt the hand on his shoulder burn with the intensity of fire. He immediately broke out into a full-out run, as Lina chased him as ferociously as an angry boar. Zelgadis was unable to convince her between the time she caught up and tackled him to the ground, that he had only been kidding. Whether he had or hadn't, Lina was determined to keep him close that day and make sure if anyone got killed, Zelgadis was going to be first.

* * *

Zelgadis observed the angle of the sun's shadow on the ground. "They're pretty late…" he muttered. He didn't dare speak loudly as Lina had not too long ago still been glaring at him for his earlier comment.

Lina grunted in agreement and started at the clearing between the trees that had been agreed upon to be the meeting point. If anything was clear to Lina it was that if things were going to get ugly, they picked a great spot for it, as they were at least a few miles away from a town. Above them the sun was sitting a little more than over their heads, letting Lina know that it was approaching past noon and her hunger would soon get the best of her. She had grabbed a random apple she had found in a tree, but she had to forget about it after Zelgadis had pointed out that there were a lot of partially eaten apples around it accompanied with fully dead squirrels. Even then, Lina thought about eating it until Zelgadis had smacked the fruit from her hand. He, too, had received a reciprocal slap, despite he was only trying to help. Lina had blamed it on her reflex, but Zelgadis continued to grumble that she had done it because of his earlier joke. Lina didn't bother to say anything to confirm nor dispute his idea.

"If no one shows up, then it's pretty clear that Xellos was just trying to get rid of you for a while."

Lina closed her eyes and willed her stomach to ignore the fact that it was time to be fed. "Either way, this is just a ploy to get me out of the house."

"You have no doubt at all that this isn't the trap?" Zelgadis said. His eyes kept moving around as if he expected someone to jump out at any moment. But then again, as he was still a little on guard from the constant attacks of the thugs sent by his uncle, it was more out of habit than anything else.

"Again, if this is the only thing that Xellos could come up with, he's not as smart as I thought he was," Lina said. She opened her eyes suddenly as she felt that Zelgadis was thinking something afterward. "You have a comment?"

"…Not a one," Zelgaidis said, turning his back to her. He swallowed and tried to think of anything else than what Lina had already known him to be thinking.

"Oh, really?" Lina said, staring at his back with half-lidded eyes. "You weren't about to talk about that _stupid disease_ again, were you?"

"Of course not…" Zelgadis said. He coughed. "I just want you to consider the possibility that Xellos is all out of schemes this time."

Lina made a scoffing laugh. "Xellos without schemes," she said. "That's like me deciding to give up food or something."

Zelgadis tried not to smile as he thought of something else it was like. Since his thought was vaguely suggesting that Lina was prone to do stupid things, he smartly decided not to voice it. However, once again, he felt Lina's burning stare into his back and knew that she already had an idea of what he was thinking. Zelgadis tried to change the subject to something safer.

"How about we open this box?" He turned to her with it sitting on his palm. "At least let's see what this important cargo we've been transporting is."

Lina resisted the idea for a moment, knowing that Zelgadis was just trying to get himself out of the line of fire. However, when Zelgadis brought up that it might be some kind of valuable jewel or something of that sort, Lina's interest was piqued. It had been a while since she had seen something valuable that she could actually touch. Anything that was valuable in Xellos's place was protected too well for her to even think about placing a finger on it. Now that she had the opportunity to set her eyes upon something shimmering and expensive, how could she turn that away? It was highly likely that she would be dead by the next day, so this was not the time for her to be too careful. She had already decided to go out per her style: glimmering like the gold she was always chasing after.

"Why not?" Lina said, taking the box from him. She ran her hands down the sides of it, finding not a lock, latch, or even button. "So how do you think we can crack it open?"

"Must be some kind of pressure lock," Zelgadis said, standing behind her so he could have a closer look at she felt it out. "Probably it needs some kind of equally distributed stimulation."

"Hmm…" Lina said, trying out what he suggested. She continually started poking the sides of the box with her index and middle fingers. Zelgadis kept track of which spots she had already tried and instructed her on where to try next. After about two minutes of fooling around with it, they were rewarded with a clicking sound and the top of the box popping up.

Lina hungrily threw the top off and reached inside. Her face of anticipation instantly dropped into one of puzzlement as the two of them stared at her holding a metal tube of some sort. Lina looked to Zelgadis who shared her face of confusion. Rather than even bother to ask about what it might be, Lina put it back into its previous padded place and replaced the top. She pressed it back down until it the locked clicked back on. Then she sighed and handed it back to Zelgadis.

"Well, that was a waste of time," Lina said, putting her hands behind her head. She groaned loudly to the sky.

"You don't have the slightest interest in what was in the tube?" Zelgadis said, staring at the box with a curious expression.

"Unless it's liquid gold then who cares?" Lina muttered, still looking upwards.

"It might be."

Lina just laughed and shook her head. "I can smell gold a mile away."

"How rude of me to have forgotten your nose for valuable things."

"I sense that you're not carrying that antique silver watch that you usually keep in your pocket."

Zelgadis grinned. "Wow, that's impressive," he said. "Leave it to you to always be conscious of the most valuable thing on my body."

Lina finally faced him with a smile. "Well, I'm still hoping that one day you'll just give it to me like you promised," she said.

"I fake promised it to you to keep Rezo from taking back the only heirloom that I've managed to keep out of his hands," Zelgadis said, thinking that her memory was impeccable when it came to possessions.

"A promise is a promise." Lina said, smiling despite Zelgadis's frown of disbelief. "Anyways, where is the watch? I've been wanting to ask about it all day."

"Nice that you've been concerned all this time about my watch and not me," Zelgadis said. He held the box between his hands squeezing it as if it would pop any moment under his strength. "Did it ever occur to you that I still might be a little bit in danger with that whole Rezo thing?"

"You'll be fine," Lina said, waving her hand. "I'm the one being targeted by Xellos."

Zelgadis dropped his head and sighed. He wasn't in the least bit surprised that Lina turned it around and made it all about herself. Usually he would make a futile attempt to get her to see his point of view again, but the Xellos thing was a valid point. For once she had a real free card to be selfish. Zelgadis was just glad that it wasn't a permanent one, just in case that she did make it through the day alive.

Lina drew Zelgadis's attention as she darted her head toward the clearing. He looked there, noticing the faint sound of approaching footsteps. Lina stiffened and her hands tightened at her side. Zelgadis stuck closer to her and instinctively put his hand on the hilt of his sword. A few moments later two men came out into the clearing, both bearing double the weapons at their side. They looked at Zelgadis and Lina with inquiring eyes. Zelgadis and Lina in turn viewed them with guarded eyes, readying themselves for anything that may happen.

"So…" the heavier of the two began, "you're Xellos's minions, huh?"

"Who the hell is his minion?" Zelgadis muttered. Before he could complain anymore, Lina elbowed him to be quiet.

"I guess you could call us that," Lina said. "You must be the lackeys of his business partner then."

Lackey Two nodded and positioned his hand on his left sword. "Yeah, and we don't want any funny business from the two of you," he said. "Our boss is quite tired of being double-crossed by yours and we were under strict instructions to not let it happen again."

"Easy, easy," Lina said, watching Lackey One doing the same as his friend. She slowly took the box from Zelgadis's hand and held it up for them to see. "We don't intend to do anything here but give you the box you came for."

"The boss paid a lot of money for that!" Lackey One blurted out. "We ain't gonna be tricked again, you hear! So you better be telling the truth!"

"We hear ya, we hear ya," Lina said. She turned her head toward Zelgadis. "These guys are really high-strung. They must have been burned by Xellos quite a few times."

"Hey!" Lackey One said. "What are you muttering to him about? "

Lina and Zelgadis exchanged expressions of a realization that they were dealing with some very sensitive people. They both knew that if they moved or spoke in the wrong way, it would end up in a fight easily. Neither of them wanted to needlessly fight when they had other things they wanted to do that day. But they both understood that neither of them looked strong enough that it would be a problem to fight them if need be.

While Lina and Zelgadis were having a silent conversation between themselves, Lackey Two became more impatient and unsheathed his sword. He then took a step toward them and demanded that they stop acting so secretive.

"We're just going to put down the box here," Lina said very slowly, "and then walk away, all right?" She did as she said, making no big movements as she did so. She and Zelgadis maintained eye contact with their distrustful customers as they walked backwards from where they laid the box.

Lina and Zelgadis were more tense as the two lackeys didn't immediately make any movements toward the box. Lackey Two glanced at Lackey One and muttered something to him that they couldn't hear. He swiftly looked back at Lina and Zelgadis before he took another menacing step toward them.

"How do we even know that inside of this box is the promised item?" Lackey Two said. "We've already been fooled twice with that kind of trick!"

Lina and Zelgadis barely looked at each other again, silently noting that Xellos was quite good at doing that sort of dirty thing. They also had similar thoughts of how it was that this boss of theirs could be so stupid as to do multiple transactions with Xellos and have some kind of hope that the next time he wouldn't be hoodwinked by the master of deception Xellos was.

"We need proof!" Lackey Two bellowed.

"Blue-hair," Lackey One said, pointed a hand at Zelgadis. "You open the box and show us what's inside."

Zelgadis moved without a hitch, although he made sure to make catch Lina's eye signal for whether it was a good idea or not. The glance he had been able to catch from her seemed to suggest that it was a 50 percent chance of being a good move. As Zelgadis attempted to open the box in the same way that Lina had earlier, both of them wondered if it would have been better to first find out what it was that the lackeys had been promised to collect. Lina unconsciously held her breath as Zelgadis pulled out the tube and held it for the two to see. She let it out when they didn't immediately break out in angry shouts or brandished swords upon seeing it. They did whisper to each other, which was more assuring thing than immediate aggression.

"We'll need you to open up the tube," Lackey One said. "Just to make sure."

"What is it supposed to be?" Zelgadis said, hesitating to unscrew the top off. For all he knew, some kind of poisonous gas would come out of it and kill them all. Although, if that were to happen, even Zelgadis would have to admit that Xellos was really running out of ideas.

"You don't ask the questions—we do!" Lackey Two said, drawing even closer to Zelgadis with his sword.

Lina swallowed and put her hand on Zelgadis's shoulder as his hand hovered over the top. Knowing that he had Lina's approval, he carefully turned the cap and gingerly lifted it. The two of them sighed a relief when nothing suspicious came out of it. At first, neither of them bothered to even acknowledge what was in it, just glad it wasn't something that would lead to their death.

"This doesn't look like what we were supposed to get!" Lackey Two said, his hand shaking. This got Lina and Zelgadis's attention quickly.

"Yeah, the antidote is supposed to be white, but that stuff is obviously blue!" Lackey One said. He took out of his right sword. "Knew we couldn't trust Xellos!"

"Wait, wait, wait!" Zelgadis said, quickly screwing the top back on and backing up from the advancing lackeys. "I'm sure there's just been some kind of mistake here."

"We don't have time for mistakes!" Lackey One said. They were both now strategically positioned in front of Lina and Zelgadis.

"There's been no mistake!" Lina said. She tried to hold off the two lackeys from doing anything rash. "This is the antidote… Um, it's just been flavored with…blueberries?"

By then Zelgadis had already moved into a better defensive position, but he was almost knocked over by her ridiculous statement. It seemed that she had the same effect on the lackeys who were momentarily too stunned to immediately respond to it. Ridiculous as her statement was, it was successful in fully locking the lackeys' attention on her. They started barking at her about how they wouldn't fall for such a cheap trick and had been tricked by far more clever things than that in the past. Lina just added more fuel to the fire saying that the blueberry idea was by far the best Xellos had came up with. They were so concerned with arguing with Lina about it, that they didn't even notice that Zelgadis had moved to their side and had prepared to attack Lackey One. He realized that Zelgadis was attacking him just in time to block. That blow alerted Lackey Two to get back into attack mode. He glared at Lina who tried in vain to look innocent before he went after her. Lina, who was less prepared with a weapon on hand (she had really intended to let Zelgadis handle the majority of that) let Lackey Two simply chase her for a while to put more distance between them. Lina was much faster on her feet and she used the trees to her advantage to slow down the lackey even further.

After zigzagging between trees to keep up with Lina, Lackey Two was definitely feeling winded. He was amazed that Lina was so fast, but he was determined not to let the little deceiver get away. However, in his inability to keep up, he lost sight of Lina for a second as she ducked behind a tree. By the time he realized where Lina was, she was coming at him from the side of a tree. He fell onto his back and lost grip of his sword for a moment. Lackey Two's fumble allowed Lina to easily block his grab for his weapon with her foot. She then just as easily knocked the wind out of him with her other foot to his stomach. While he was holding his aching middle and trying to breathe, Lina had no problem getting her hands on his sword. Lackey Two painfully had no choice but to submit to Lina who was hovering over his head with a sword.

Lina, now having the lackey secured, allowed herself to look back over to the clearing to see what Zelgadis's condition was. She wasn't surprised that he was already finished with the taking down his own lackey and was tying back his hands. Lina motioned with her sword for Lackey Two to get on his feet and follow her back to Zelgadis's side. The two of them were unable to get any words on what to do next, when Lackey Two rushed to his obviously more battered companion's side, lamenting about what they were going to do now. Lackey One responded a just as forlorn voice that they wasn't much they could do. Lina and Zelgadis just exchanged glanced as this went on.

"The boss is done for now," Lackey Two sobbed. "That damn Xellos wouldn't stop until he's robbed him of not all of his money, but his life too!"

"We might as well die here too," Lackey One said solemnly. "I can't bear to go back and watch him die because of our failure."

Lina let them carry on with this deadly tone for a while before she brought her fingers to her lips and whistled. "Just wait one minute!" she said. "We haven't had one idea what you guys have been carrying on about since you got here. Can't you explain it to us a little bit?"

The lackeys looked at each other. Then Lackey One nodded and Lackey Two sighed. He then took his tied up companion and turned him so that he could properly face Lina and Zelgadis.

"About two years ago, our boss went to this party held by Xellos and some wealthy circle. Day after that, his health began to get worse…"

Lina felt the urge to give Lackey One a handkerchief as he struggled to continue with his story. Zelgadis hadn't been able to move past his stage of disbelief that things were going in this direction. He had his head rested against his hand as if he anticipated a headache coming on at any moment. Despite things were getting more emotional than she would have expected, she let a smile escape when she noticed Zelgadis's reaction.

Eventually Zelgadis too got sucked into the drama of their story as Lackey One got himself together and was able to elaborate. Apparently, their boss was one of the many people that "suddenly" became ill after attending Xellos's party. Since not everyone was affected by the illness, Xellos's hand in the matter was not immediately seen. Especially since he had made sure that he had hired someone else to cater the event and was able to use that as an effective cover for quite a while. However, as some of these guests began to die, some that hadn't perished used their vast fortunes to research the cause of their illness. One way or another, everyone's findings led to Xellos as the producer of the poison that was afflicting all the people. Although Xellos was able to conjure up only a barely plausible reason as to why his poison got into these people's systems without his knowledge, no legal actions were taken against him. His strongest defense was that everyone at the party ate the same exact things so how could only a portion get poisoned. In the end, those who wanted to keep their lives had to pay Xellos to get the antidote, which he claimed was very time and resource-consuming, so he couldn't so easily hand it out for just a nominal fee. Plain and simple it was extortion. Lina and Zelgadis were both of the mind that Xellos really would do anything to get money, no matter how much of a scum-sucking monster it made him look like.

"But it didn't end when our boss agreed to pay for the antidote," Lackey One added. "He's already spent most of everything, trying to get the real thing."

Lina felt like puking the more she heard. Basically, this was their fifth attempt over two years to get the antidote from Xellos. The first time, they were basically given a super-high priced retardant. It slowed down the spread of the poison enough that it seemed that he had been cured. But a few months later when the "antidote" was out of his system, he reverted right back to where he was before. However, thanks to the fake antidote, their boss had been able to keep living long enough to make a few more attempts to get his hands on the real things. The next time had also been a trade of false hope. They were certain that they had obtained the right thing, but at some point some hired goons of Xellos had switched out their antidote for nothing but water. Today's attempt was the absolute last bit of funds that their boss could afford after getting rid of his house, possessions, and large staff of lackeys. They had remained by his side out of loyalty and were not being paid for anything they had been doing for the last year.

By the time they had explained to this point, the two of them were in tears. Zelgadis understood their frustration, but at the same time had no desire to see grown men cry in front of him, so he tried his best to calm them down. Lina was wondering if there was anything they could do short of just leaving them to be.

"What do you think, Zel?" Lina said over the bawls of the lackeys. "It's not really our responsibility to help them, but…"

"We have our own problems with Xellos," Zelgadis said, massaging his temples. "We don't exactly have a lot of time to deal with them right now."

"Don't worry about us!" Lackey Two suddenly shouted. "Just leave us here for the vultures!"

Lina sighed and caught Zelgadis's headache. As much as she wanted to just bolt and leave them to their own devices, Lina couldn't move one foot away. But really what could they really do for them? Talking to Xellos would do no good; with all that was going on, they would never be able to get anywhere. And with Xellos's poisons it would surely be something that only one of his people would know how to cure. With that in mind, there was little they could do outside of magically procure the antidote out of the air.

"Um…I'm sorry for all the trouble Xellos has caused you, but you might as well just try to take this vile back and see if it can do something for your boss," Lina said. She picked up the bottle and tried to look at it as if it weren't a really bad idea.

Lina put it back into the box and outstretched it to them (or rather only Lackey Two who was the only who could move on his own). Zelgadis sighed and folded his arms over his chest to say that it was the only thing that they could do in that situation.

Eventually, Lackey Two took the box regretfully, while Zelgadis decided that there was no more need to keep his friend tied up and released him. However, with box in hand, the two lackeys merely stood next together in silence, heads down, and with no indication that they were going to move from that spot. Lina and Zelgadis sighed again and huddled up to hopefully find a way to send them on their way.

"These guys are never going to leave," Lina said. "We're going to have to lie to get them out of here."

"Might as well send them somewhere else," Zelgadis said.

"Somewhere else?" Lina said, scratching her head. "It's not like we can say go take a nice vacation down south."

"That's why we do what you said and lie to them."

Lina felt like her brain was going to explode with all the thinking, when finally it came to her. When it came to poisons and Xellos, there was only one thing that came to mind—his evil bakery. If she thought about it, that was probably the place that most of his homemade poisons were made. It was a long-shot that they would be able to find any clues there, but it was all they got.

"Zel, it's a piece of cake."

"What?" When Lina just grinned at him and broke their huddle, he wondered if she was overcome by her hunger and had lost her ability to think straight.

Lina walked over to the two lackeys and put her arms over their shoulders. "Listen guys, I think I have an idea for you two," she said. "There's a bakery of Xellos's that is basically his poison lab. You go there and start making a little noise and you're sure to find out something."

"Re…Really?" Lackey Two said.

"How can we trust that?" Lackey One said.

"What other choice do you got?" Lina said. "Listen, boys, if there's not anything there, feel free to go and speak to a certain Filia. If anything, you can at least get some payback against Xellos through her. No one is out to get him more than her."

Again the two lackeys looked at each other, but this time the slightest of hope appeared on their faces. They slowly nodded at each other and agreed to Lina's advice. Finally, with the box in hand, the two of them gradually left the forest, claiming to go straight away to the bakery that Lina had directed them to.

"Was that really okay?" Zelgadis muttered after they had disappeared.

"No longer our problem," Lina said. She made a dramatic gesture to the direction of Xellos's house. "Let's go take down Xellos!"

Lina started off before Zelgaids had a second to follow her. "Oi!" he said. He shook his head and ran off after her. "Don't think that you can leave me behind!"

* * *

The two of them were thoroughly surprised at what they saw before they even were able to enter Xellos's house. At first glance, they didn't even recognize the area. There were large carriages all around the outside of his estate grounds. In between all of these carriages were an array of soldiers in militarist outfits. For a moment, Lina and Zelgadis had the idea that Xellos was finally being arrested for his crimes and they had sent in the army to take care of him. That fantasy was soon broken by the time they were able to move closer and observe the fiery emblem that was drawn upon both the carriages and the identical uniforms of the men surrounding the area. Zelgadis didn't recognize it at first, but Lina immediately did. Zelgadis, crouched down together with Lina, noticed her hesitant look and shaking hands.

"Doushita (What's wrong), Lina?" Zelgadis said, putting his hand on her shoulder. He became even more concerned when she then turned away from the scene and breathed a little faster. "Oi, Lina."

"It's the Demon Lord Brigade," Lina said, so lowly it sounded like she had just muttered some kind of evil chant.

Zelgadis's first cry of surprise was caught in his throat, and he instead became speechless. He was hoping that Lina would soon say that she was mistaken or that it couldn't be possible that there were in this part of the world at this moment. But he, too, realized that the emblem and the soldiers around were all too familiar.

"What the hell's going on…" Zelgadis finally managed to say.

"I don't know," Lina said. She slowly faced Zelgadis. "Zel, something more serious than I could have imagined is going on."

"Masaka (No way)…they came for you?"

Lina hit the ground with her fist. "Whether they did or not, it's a horrible situation for me," she said. "Last time I messed with their group, I barely made it out with my life."

"And left their army nearly ruined." Zelgadis said. He turned back to Xellos's house. "But they seem to be doing all right now."

"I'm not surprised," Lina said. She made a sarcastic smile. "It was over five years ago and that guy was still alive."

"That guy, huh?" Lina became quiet again and he tried to prod her a little more. "There's no way that he would be here…"

Lina was quiet for the longest time that Zelgadis thought that she wasn't listening to him at all and was lost in her own world. He didn't know all the details, but he was aware of Lina's involvement with the Demon Lord Brigade. She had basically travelled to the opposite side of the world, planning to earn a lot of money from some rumor she had heard about over there, but she ended up getting into something much bigger. From what she had told him, she eventually got mixed up in the shady business that the army was conducting under their general. Although Lina claimed that she wanted nothing to do with setting right the wrongs they were doing, she nonetheless became the one that came to destroy their army from the inside-out. Luckily, she managed to get out of it with her life and a great amount of thankful people, but of course, she had added one more enemy to her long list. Unfortunate for her, it was one of the most deadliest enemies that she had to date. Zelgadis had been less than confident, unlike Lina, that with the distance, little information she had let others on that side of the world know about her (she had been using a fake identity at the time), and inability for anyone to really keep track of where and when Lina would be at any given moment, this incident would not be able to come back to haunt her at any time soon. Lina's prediction was that it would be about ten years at the least and by then she would so rich that she would be able to afford a fortress of diamonds that would protect her from any kind of army. Zelgadis wished he had advised her at the time to somehow spread a rumor that she was dead or anything else to better secure this incident would have not come back to bite her in the ass.

"Xellos sold me out," Lina said. She spat out a curse and stood up. "Now everything makes sense."

"Xellos took money in order to sell you to them," Zelgadis said. He stood up beside her. "While that seems to make sense…"

Lina shot him a look. "What couldn't make sense about that? He said that if he went through with this deal, then my life would probably end. And I can't think of many more people who would want me dead or to suffer as much as these guys would."

Zelgadis nodded. "But, something still isn't right. Why did Xellos send you away today? You might have never come back."

Lina was quiet again, although Zelgadis saw her face tense in a way that it seemed that she agreed with him. While waiting that she might say something about his comment, he was surprised that she started to move past the bushes in front of them toward the house. Luckily, he wasn't too shocked to have the sense to get her back under cover before anyone noticed her. She resisted him until he tightened his grip upon her and asked her about her intentions.

"We're going in, of course!" Lina said, nudging him into the ribcage. "Let me go!"

"Lina!" Zelgadis said, managing to at least keep one arm secure upon her. "If you go in there in a moment of passion, what do you think is going to happen?"

Lina again didn't respond right away, making Zelgadis really wonder what was going on in her head. "Zel…" she said, her eyes darting around the area. "There's only about thirty of these guys out here. If we halve them up, we can take them down easily."

"Are you nuts?"

"I'll give you time to get the upper hand with a little distraction. You ready?"

"Ready?" Zelgadis immediately gripped his sword as Lina ignored him and went off without another word. "Damnit!"

Zelgadis sat in wait for Lina, while he watched the men occupying the estate. A minute later he heard some horses shriek and some men try and settle them down. However, the horses only seemed to be getting more agitated rather than calmer. The first three that were trying their best to keep the horses peaceful were then joined by two more from the other sides. Zelgadis could predict what was to happen next so he started off where the remaining soldiers were positioned, who were wondering what all of the commotion was about.

Zelgadis had the element of surprise on his side, as he launched an attack from the side on the foremost soldier. He had no problems taking the man down quickly, as his opponent hadn't the time to get out his weapon properly. He had not a second before the others in that area were heading in his direction. Before he had about ten peopleattacking him at the same time, he drew them away from Xellos's house, knowing that if they attracted too much attention, other possible soldiers might come flooding out of the place. With them on his tail, he didn't have time to confirm whether Lina had already started her attack or not, but he assumed that she must have started about the same time as him.

Zelgadis, although having to take care of multiple soldiers at once, managed to get out of it with no damage except a few tatters to his clothes. Afterwards, he circled back to the house, where the remaining soldiers were waiting for him. Although, they were heavily armed and sharp, they were no match for Zelgadis's agility and efficiency. He had become much better in these two areas after the nonstop attacks from Rezo's goons. It wasn't exactly a cakewalk for him to take them all down (they were a little more resilient opponent than Zelgadis was used to), but he was able to subdue everyone. He was comforted that there were no enemies immediately rushing over as backup to his side, and he took it as a sign that Lina had taken care of her half. He stuffed the soldiers inside a single carriage and secured the doors so that they wouldn't be to escape on the chance that they would be able to move any time soon. He then hurried over to Lina's side, surprised that there was no one to be found from the numerous soldiers they had previously observed.

"Lina…" Zelgadis said, looking left and right. "What happened to those guys?"

Lina ran her hand gently over one of the horses' noses. "I might have sent them running away in the night."

Zelgadis didn't even bother to ask how it was that she was able to do that and scratched his head. "Aren't you worried that they would come back?"

"After what I did to the first guy, they're not going to come back."

Zelgadis really didn't want to know what she meant by that at all. He was having enough trouble just imaging it. The point was that the outside enemy was taken care of, and the details of that didn't really matter.

"All right, well, now what?" Zelgadis said. "And don't suddenly start doing things without telling me."

"What? You read my mind completely," Lina said. She motioned for him to follow him to the house. They noticed that all the curtains to the windows were drawn so they couldn't see inside. "Let's try the door."

"You think it'll be unlocked?" Zelgadis said.

Lina dug underneath her shirt and pulled out some tools. "It won't be too difficult to unlock it," she said.

"And if there's someone waiting for us behind the door?"

"You'll take them out after I open it." She had already started sticking her tools into the hole and moving them around meticulously.

Zelgadis took out his sword and sighed. "You really make things sound so damn simple…"

"Of course," Lina said. She heard the appropriate click and put her tools back. Before opening the door she turned to Zelgadis and exchanged a nod.

She slowly opened the door on the off-chance that it might make a sound that would alert someone who was waiting there. They both relaxed when they opened the door and found it relatively quiet. However, they heard some noise in the distance that led them to the first level study. There was no mistake to whom one of the voices belonged to. The second one only Lina seemed to recognize.

"Zel." Lina said. She turned her back to the wall. "He's here."

Zelgadis mimicked her actions without confirming what she was talking about. "You don't mean—"

"General Gaav." Lina took in a deep breath and closed her eyes. "I couldn't want anyone else on the planet to find me at this very moment."

"Lina, it's crazy that he would come in person to collect you," Zelgadis said. He heard the man's robust laughter from behind the door.

"Yeah," Lina said. "Usually don't you just send someone below you to do this kind of tedious pickup?"

"Tedious?" Zelgadis repeated. He smiled in spite that there was nothing really particularly funny about their situation. "He's probably been looking for you for years. I guess he didn't want to pass up the chance to come collect you personally."

"Damnit," Lina said. "I'm not prepared to take on someone like him right now."

"Lina, we should go. You said you'd take on Xellos, not a crazy general bent on destroying you."

Lina didn't respond to him, despite he kept saying her name. Instead she walked over to the door and pressed her ear against the door. Zelgadis eventually gave up and started to listen with her too.

"Well, enough with all this 'pleasant' chatter, Metallium—" they heard General Gaav say, "—where do you got the Inverse girl at?"

Lina unintentionally held her breath at that question. Her first guess to what he would say is that she was right outside the door since it wasn't strange for Xellos to pick up on her presence. If he did reveal their current location, they would have no choice but to go right in and face the general. Just as Lina was about to give Zelgadis a silent suggestion upon what to do if they were found, they heard the faint sound of a teacup dropping upon a saucer and Xellos's soft laughter.

"Where's Lina Inverse, you say?" Lina and Zelgadis were sure that their confused expression looked the same as the general's did at that moment. "Why on earth would I know that?"

"What?" Lina and Zelgadis couldn't help saying in a hushed tone.

"What the hell are you playing at, Metallium?" General Gaav said. They heard a metallic movement. "You think this is a game or something? Bring out that girl now."

Neither Lina nor Zelgadis missed the "or-else" tone in the general's voice. They both had a lot of questions about Xellos's statement. What was he doing saying such an obvious lie?

"Well, Lina-san is a very tricky girl," Xellos said. "Even I couldn't completely keep a hold on her, especially while preparing for you to visit."

"Are you trying to sell me some kind of bullshit like Lina Inverse escaped without you knowing about it?"

There was definite pause before Xellos retorted, and Lina felt her heart beating faster and faster. "Yes, that's about the gist of what I'm saying," he said.

They heard General Gaav slowly build up a chuckle until it gradually became a roaring laughter. Lina's bad feeling became worse, and she felt her spine tingle with the tension of the situation. She tapped Zelgadis on his arm and gave him a silent signal to be ready.

"You're really somethin', Metallium," Gaav said. They heard the sound of a chair moving across the floor. "So you took my money and assured my messenger that little bitch would be here. But come today, she's vanished, huh? Ain't that just so convenient?"

Lina was getting really nervous as another silence began. Was it that at any moment the general was going to kick down the door and reveal that he and Xellos were just playing a game? She backed up a foot in lieu of the quiet, expecting a storm. Zelgadis did the same without much hesitation.

"Fuzakenna (Don't fuck with me)!" They heard the sound of a charge and things being knocked over. That, along with the sound of things breaking and thud of a body, set their alarms off.

Lina didn't need to even bother to signal Zelgadis as they both immediately kicked down the door and stepped into the doorway. Lina thought that first laying her eyes upon the tall man with fiery, long hair would make her blood turn cold. Instead, it was the sight of his extra long sword sticking partly into a Xellos collapsed on the floor that made her gasp.

"Ha, you were lying through your teeth after all…" Gaav, said, nonchalantly pulling his sword out of Xellos and making slow steps toward them. "If it ain't Lina Inverse in the flesh."

"Xe…Xellos…" Lina said. She instinctively got out the sword she had swiped earlier, but she kept her gaze mainly on Xellos on his back and the pool of blood forming around him.

"Did you really think ya could make a fool of me all those years ago and get away with it?" Gaav went on, looming ever closer. "Huh? Ya sorry excuse for a woman?"

Lina willed herself to stand her ground and have her weapon ready. "Zel, go take care of Xellos," she said lowly.

"What? Lina—"

"Just do it." Lina's eyes were locked on the general's. She slowly moved to the left of the room as did Gaav. Zelgadis quickly went to the right where Xellos was struggling to sit up.

"Oi!" Zelgadis said, crouching down by Xellos. He found it hard to keep his eyes on him, though. He was already looking back in Lina's direction where it looked like Lina was only moving in a direction that was going to get her cornered soon.

Xellos laughed weakly. "Are you really planning to help me?" he said. He held onto his left side where blood was oozing out of it.

"I wouldn't be bothered with you if it wasn't Lina's request," Zelgadis muttered, looking at him again. He was amazed that he could manage to pull himself up with that much blood leaving his body.

"Sou… desu ka (I see)." He was breathing heavily, but still smiling. "But…I think that…Lina-san is more…in need…of help…than I…at the moment."

"No argument there." Zelgadis gripped his weapon tighter at the sight of Lina and Gaav simply facing each other. Lina was standing confidentially, but Gaav was grinning at her like a cat that had cornered a mouse.

"Then…feel free…to leave…me…be…" Xellos said. With his free hand he tried to grip his staff, but his hand shook so much that he eventually dropped it again and sent it rolling toward the overturned table.

"Omae (You)…" Zelgadis sighed and debating whether helping Xellos on his feet. "I don't get what you were thinking. Did you not really think he wasn't going to try to cut you open?"

Xellos snickered and took in a deep breath. "I was just thinking…I would be fast enough…to avoid him. I was only able…to avoid…a deathly blow…"

"I'm pretty sure you're going to die if you stay like this," Zelgadis said with some hope it would turn out that way.

"The same…for Lina-san…"

Before Zelgadis could say anything, they were interrupted by the sudden swing of General Gaav's sword and the sound of Lina's sword barely managing to receive it. Her arms were shaking badly and her feet were slightly slipping backwards. The general simply sneered at her in satisfaction.

"Lina!" Zelgadis said, already on his feet.

"Take care of Xellos!" Lina said. She finally managed to push Gaav back and return a blow of her own, which was easily blocked.

General Gaav laughed as he allowed Lina to take the offensive. "You really think you have the time to worry about that worm, Metallium?" he said. He violently pushed back against Lina's next attack, sending her flying against a small cabinet near the door where a few hard books rested upon.

The books fell to the floor as Lina's back crashed against the cabinet, knocking her off balance for a moment as well. She had no time to consider the pain in her back for General Gaav was swinging right to chop off her head. Lina had no choice but to drop down, but with her bad footing, she ending up tumbling into side table near the western wall. With Gaav's power and length of his blade, he had cut deeply into the wall where Lina had stood before, also taking off the top of the potted tree and slicing apart a sconce on the wall.

Lina scurried to get to her feet and leaped over little table, landing in the middle of the couch against the solitary window in the room. As soon as her feet sunk into the cushions, Gaav's next strike had already chopped off a quarter of the couch as clean as if an axe had been taken to and left a nice dent into the floor and carpet. No longer questioning whether Gaav could cut through any of the other furniture, Lina hopped off the couch began running around the perimeter of the room. While the general's wild slashing spree was going on she needed to make sure that she didn't end up halved like a floor candle stand she passed, nor did she want him to stampede through the middle of the room where Xellos and Zelgadis were.

Xellos somewhat crawled over and grabbed his staff again and tried to stand up. Zelgadis was worried about Lina's mad dashing around behind them while the massive bookshelf against the northern wall was being torn apart in the process, but he finally decided to help Xellos get to his feet. Even Xellos couldn't fake the pain he was in to be on his feet, and he again lost his staff as he used both hands to hold his side. If it wasn't for Zelgadis holding him, he would have fallen to the floor.

"You're getting in the way! Just keep still!" Zelgadis said.

"I need to…" Xellos said, reaching out for it one more time."

"Just forget about—"

Zelgadis didn't get to finish, as Lina ran past the table next to them with barely enough time to tell them to move before Gaav came toward them with his blade. Zelgadis held onto Xellos and rolled them out of the way just in time. The table that they had been huddling next to as well as two of the chairs were split into pieces after Gaav had come through. They were able to observe the damage they had missed from the legs of the desk they had rolled into. They could also see that Lina had stopped running so she could block and temporarily hold off Gaav from swinging at something else in the room.

Zelgadis fought his urge to run over to her and returned his attention back to Xellos, who was trying to get back on his feet. Zelgadis pulled out the bandages and cloth he had stored underneath his shirt and ordered Xellos to sit up against the desk. Xellos complied, although he looked as though he was impatient to get back on his feet.

"I didn't want to have to use these on a bastard like you…" Zelgadis muttered. He removed Xellos's shirt and tried to wipe away as much of the blood as possible with the cloth.

Xellos smiled weakly. "How nice of you to trouble yourself," he said.

"Shut up." He finished up cleaning up his wound as much as he could at that point and then started to unroll the bandages.

"If…our positions…were reversed…I'd leave you…to die."

Zelgadis had already started to wrap the bandage around Xellos, but he was doing it much more tightly after hearing that. "This isn't the best time for you to be honest…" he said.

It was certainly not easy for Zelgadis to give Xellos a chance to live when he could just as easily end him right there. He was by no means above kicking someone when they were down, but in order to respect Lina's wishes he couldn't at least try to keep the demon breathing.

"I don't want you to die…thinking that I was…grateful to you."

Zelgadis kept his hand busy working on finishing up the bandage. "You should be worrying about yourself dying, not me," he said.

Xellos was just laughing about that while Zelgadis finally tied up things all up and stood. Now that Xellos was relatively taken care of, he quickly turned back to check on Lina. He wasn't too sure if he was relieved that Lina was no longer running around like a scared mouse while Gaav thrashed about like an angry elephant, destroying everything in his path; in place of that Lina was merely being pushed around as she blocked Gaav's non-stop attacks against her. He wasn't leaving any openings for Lina to retaliate and she was slowly edging toward the southern wall again. Zelgadis was fairly sure that Gaav's intention was just that.

"Lina…"

"Aren't you…going to go help her?"

Zelgadis allowed himself to glance in his direction to see Xellos holding onto the edge of the desk while slightly off his knees. Zelgadis suspected that he had tried to stand again, but had failed. "Don't you think I want to?"

"Then please do…"

Zelgadis's anger rose enough that he was able to fully turn upon Xellos. "What right do you have to tell me to go help her, anyway?" he demanded. "This is all your damn fault in the first place!"

Xellos tried to laugh but it was broken up by a coughing fit. When he was able to contain it, he was breathing heavily and slowly let go of the desk. "Even you…should be able to see…my plan isn't going…as I planned it…"

"Oi…" Zelgadis said, watching Xellos's head slowly start to drop. "Don't pass out now!"

Xellos tried to say something, but his mouth almost but completely shut. Zelgadis had thought that maybe Xellos had finally met his maker until he noticed that his chest was still moving up and down with the same vigor as before. He figured having Xellos like that was for the best when a more conscious Xellos had been futilely trying to get up and saying unhelpful things. He was only supposed to make sure that the guy didn't die (Zelgadis assumed).

Zelgadis felt safe to concentrate all of his attention back to Lina, where her situation hadn't improved a bit since he had been distracted by Xellos. She was indeed cornered now and only in a position to block the violent attacks against her. Gaav wasn't giving her a second to even think about doing otherwise, clearly enjoying each of his relentless attacks against her.

Zelgadis's feet ached to get up and help her but he was determined to keep his promise to Lina and look after Xellos. After all, he had a feeling that if he tried to move away from him, the wounded nuisance might try to get back on his feet again and make the fight with Gaav even more difficult. However, with each metallic clank he heard and every bead of sweat that flew from Lina's forehead, Zelgadis felt his body shake with a desire to go.

Lina wasn't sure how long she would be able to keep blocking Gaav's fully-charged attacks. Not only was she nearly with her back to the wall, but she wouldn't find easy escape to either of her sides with large and jagged pieces of a cabinet, vase, and a tall stone pedestal littered around her. Not that she could really even consider escape with the way that Gaav wasn't allowing her to fight back. It was taking all of her strength to keep her arms from losing her grip on her sword from all of the strong vibrations he was sending through her each time their swords met. Worse of all, she hated seeing the gleeful expression on his face and knowing that despite she was scowling her desperation had to be cracking through at that point.

"What a pitiful waste of flesh you are, Lina Inverse!" Gaav taunted between two quick blows. "You're barely holding me back and you're trapped like the little rat you are!"

"Too early…to think…you've won!" Lina said.

Gaav's laughter after her ridiculous statement unnerved her as much as it did that she was struggling to figure out a way to turn things around in her favor. She thought maybe that she could get Zelgadis to come cover her for a second, but even in the horrible situation she was, she still had a shred of concern about Xellos. She wanted that worrying speck toward Xellos to be amounted to the fact that she didn't trust Xellos to not try anything funny. At this point, she couldn't risk anything else that would put her at a bigger disadvantage.

Unfortunately, Lina didn't need to worry about when another disadvantage would show up for her. After withstanding yet another blow, Lina heard the distinctive sound of something breaking. Before she could even confirm the source, she saw Gaav's grin spread in a way that verified her fears better than a good look at her sword would. Lina cursed, knowing that she had no time to really look at the damage that was done, but that Gaav was increasingly hitting her faster and stronger than before. Lina was bouncing back significantly from the blows, hitting her back against the wall. She had a very short space between herself and the corner wall, but it was just enough to give her the bare-minimum confidence that she wasn't completely trapped. But a soon to be broken sword would soon strip her of any kind of hope. Gaav wasn't the kind you could just keep running away from, and although he was having a good time playing with her right now, she knew that wouldn't last forever.

Each metal clink Lina heard as her blade was slowly but surely giving in to Gaav's power, was like the tick from a clock. Lina felt sweat running down from the side of her ear to down her neck, and her brain was working frantically for an escape plan. She had maybe about three more blows from him before the blade would completely give out and she would break. Whether she had a good plan or not, she needed to act quickly because getting sliced in half was not an option.

As fast as her brain was formulating a halfway decent plan, Lina's feet slid as far apart as she could manage with her limited space. Then she leaned her body to the side so that if her blade suddenly came forward from Gaav's push, there wasn't an immediate danger of her head being cut off clean. By that time, Lina only had about one more hit before her sword was going to be destroyed. Gaav seemed to comprehend this well and took a quick step back before he delivered the final blow. Lina's body was reacting faster than her mind, and she dropped down to her feet before she thought it. She kept her arms raised above her so that the first thing that Gaav would have to cut through was not herself, despite that protection would last about three seconds as her blade broke to bits. As soon as Lina felt (and heard the shatter of her blade) the force of her sword becoming nothing more than a useless stick, she rolled to the side she had already been leaning toward. She was quick enough to avoid Gaav slicing her neck open, but as she was rolling away, the length of Gaav's blade was able to cut into her shoulder significantly. Lina was able to prevent it from going any deeper into her flesh by the sword getting caught in the wall and pushing herself lower to the floor.

"Lina!" Lina heard Zelgadis say as she stumbled to get up, working around random bits of wood on the floor.

Lina thought she would have more time to get into a stable, defensive stance since Gaav's sword had sunk into the wall, but he had retracted it with little effort and was already coming at her to cut her up further. Lina cursed, having trouble maneuvering over the broken things that Gaav had previously knocked around. She couldn't really get up properly in time to sufficiently stay out of Gaav's way. Instead, she easily tripped over a cluster of torn books just as Gaav's sword came down from above and went skidding on her rear out of the way. She was saved from losing a limb but she was shoved into another mass of Gaav's destruction, which included parts of a chair from the center table and an metal rod from another floor stand. With an already bleeding shoulder, having other areas pierced wasn't something she could just sneeze at.

"Got you now!" Gaav said, looming above her with his sword raised in the air.

"Shit!" Lina said, having not the time to get on her feet. as a reflex, she raised her arms to shield herself, but didn't believe for a second it would do her any good. However, her feeling of impending doom dropped slightly when she saw that Zelgadis was bringing his sword down behind Gaav.

Lina almost cracked a smile, despite Gaav's blade was falling down upon her. The smile was easily erased at the last minute when Gaav whirled around and met Zelgadis's blade.

"Zel…"

"Heh, you want to play, too, boy?" Gaav said, pushing forward with his sword and enjoying the way that Zelgadis was shaking to hold his own against the massive general.

"We'll see if it's just playing around," Zelgadis said. He was able to control some of the force that Gaav was pushing against him and made a quick sidestep to break their sword-lock. He wasted no time to go in for another attack.

Lina wanted to call out to Zelgadis to tell him to stop, but it was just enough trouble for her to properly stand up. Anyway, he was leading Gaav away from her and giving Lina a chance to catch her breath for a moment. To put the most distance between herself and Gaav, who was moving to the western side of the room, without losing sight of what was going on, Lina ended up moving to the opposite side where Xellos seemed to be passed out against his desk.

Lina kept following Zelgadis, who was being tossed around by the attacks from Gaav. However, from the corner of her eye she noticed that Xellos was at least not bleeding onto the floor anymore. She was relieved that she momentarily didn't have to worry about him doing anything to get in her way. From the start, she never expected things to go smoothly, but her idea of how things would progress were even further from her imagination. Forget that she didn't hope to let Zelgadis enter the fight until she had somehow managed to weaken Gaav a degree; she would have never predicted that she would be without a weapon. That would mean that she would either have to get Gaav to lose his as well, share Zel's, or somehow use a piece of furniture to attack. Her injuries didn't help, but taking some damage was well under her calculation.

"He finally…joined the fight…did he?"

Lina was surprised not that Xellos was suddenly talking, but that when she heard his voice she didn't jump and instead felt her stomach tighten as if another problem was piling up upon her foremost one. She didn't bother to look at him, needing not to miss much of Zelgadis's defensive moves around the room. An armchair provided him with a temporary shield, which was cut to shreds in seconds.

"Zelgadis fixed you up, huh?" she finally said, without much concern in her voice.

"Yes, but it seems…that you are more in need…of some treatment," Xellos said. He rolled his head against the desk in her direction so that his smile was visible.

Lina clutched her shoulder, feeling the blood between her fingers. "I'm fine," she said.

Lina noticed how little power was in Xellos's short laugh after that. It almost prompted her to look at him directly, but she forced herself to prioritize. Xellos, as usual, was simply a distraction to her ultimate goal.

"Do you really have…the luxury…to be so stubborn?" He began to pull himself up again. "Your little friend…is getting tossed…around like a doll."

That wasn't anything that she needed Xellos to tell her. Just then she saw Gaav swing his sword at Zelgadis as if he were a pesky fly, which sent her friend backwards as if he had been hit with a low-intensity cannon. He landed squarely upon the shattered cabinet near the grand bookshelf, which itself had nearly been reduced to rubble. However, she couldn't just simply jump back into the fight without a plan. Acting impetuously without any other idea than saving Zelgadis would only get her sliced up so that she wouldn't be able to do anything else.

Lina tried to focus all of her energy on what she should do next, but she couldn't help but be bothered by the fact that Xellos was moving around. He was the last person she could find relatively useful at that moment (unless she just used him as a sacrificial distraction), so she couldn't just easily ignore his actions. Plus, she wasn't entirely certain that this situation wasn't just a part of Xellos's overall scheme.

Xellos, with much effort, pushed himself away from the desk, staggering to the center of the room for two feet before he fell against a broken chair. He slumped down to the floor and then dragged his body along it with one hand, while the other stayed near his wound. Lina thought Xellos's unexplained movements might be because he was a little delirious from his blood loss. If he kept moving forward, the only thing he was going to run into was a pile of broken debris from the fight. If he wanted to make a break for the door, he would have go a far different direction (and make it over some of the broken things in the way.

Lina remained puzzled, especially when he stopped at where the majority of the table remains laid, mixed with other things had previously been sitting on the table like the dishes and candles. She wondered if he was going to reveal there was a hidden door in the floor and escape until she saw Xellos beginning to tug on the tablecloth that was stuck between the mishmash of debris. Doing this with only one hand he was getting a very ragged strip of material. It took her about the time that Xellos shuffled over to her that she realized what his intention had been.

"Hai (Here)…" Xellos said. He was breathing harder than what his action warranted. He outstretched the strip of cloth to her.

Lina's lips were burning to tell him off, but watching Zelgadis poorly avoid another of Gaav's great blows that cut into the floor, she quickly snatched it from him and tended to her wound. She took off her top shirt that was considerably covered in blood around her shoulder and tossed it away. There was an ample length for her to make a makeshift bandage thick enough that it deter further bleeding. She wasn't accustomed to getting shoulder wounds but she was used to tying her own injuries in general, so it didn't take her very long.

Xellos was now sitting on the floor next to her. "Lina-san…take my staff," he said.

"What?" Lina was able to be caught off-guard and looked at Xellos directly.

"You still intend to fight, yes?" Xellos pointed to the area where he had been enjoying tea before the fight. "You'll…need a weapon."

"Shut—" Lina stopped after she heard Zelgadis make a sound as his sword was forced out of his hands and flew a few feet away. He instantly stepped out to retrieve it but Gaav just as quickly brought down his blade to block his way. Gaav grinned at Zelgadis as if he was a fish in barrel.

Lina gave up her refusal for Xellos's help and started running toward where he was pointing. Although there were some random books and pieces of tables and chairs in the way, she found his staff with ease by its red ball. Zelgadis, meanwhile, was delaying any direct hit by throwing whatever pieces of junk nearby to keep busy Gaav's weapon busy so he could try to move away. While it was giving him a little time, Gaav stayed close to Zelgadis so that he had little space to work with.

Zelgadis was nearly about as cornered as Lina was before; he had just shoved a large globe bar trolley at the giant and ran out of objects to throw. Lina twisted off the bottom part of Xellos blade and approached Gaav. She didn't have confidence that she would be able to attack him before Gaav could get to Zelgadis, so she tried to get his attention before she could strike him.

"Gaav! Weren't you here to take care of me or was that scratch you gave me all you got?"

Gaav didn't even turn his head in her direction and raised his blade in the air. "That's a nice toy you got there," he said with a tone that had not a hint of worry in it. "You outta put that thing back in the kitchen where it belongs!"

Lina managed to get behind Gaav ready to attack while Gaav's blade was not yet in Zelgadis's skin. "Why don't you see if it's just a toy or not?" she challenged, wishing that he would hurry up and face her.

Gaav snorted. "You wanna play with me then I'll just keep playing with your friend," he said.

Lina came at Gaav, ignoring her worry that upon contact with Gaav's massive sword, Xellos's thin blade would snap like a toothpick. She was already busy worrying that Gaav's sword was already moving toward Zelgadis's head like it was tomato being fixed for a salad. She felt relieved for a second when she saw that Gaav smoothly spun on his heels to receive her blow. As Xellos's sword made contact with Gaav's, Lina was surprised at how well it absorbed the vibrations compared to the one she had been using. As she was pushing back against Gaav's force, she had the time to consider that Xellos had made his blade out of something incredibly strong and high-grade. That was a real advantage when just swinging her sword was painful enough.

"Heh, so that butter knife is worth a little more than it looks," Gaav said, after pushing Lina away. "But is still ain't gonna do you no good!"

Lina eyed Zelgadis edging away from Gaav behind him and knew that she needed to move the general away so that Zelgadis could get his weapon back in his hands. Knowing that Xellos's blade was going to be able to withstand a hit, Lina wasted little time coming at Gaav, who was waiting with a welcoming grin. It was a nice feeling, after her previous skirmish with Gaav, to bring down her sword against him without experiencing the sensation that it was making no impact. Gaav still had her over with the sheer weight of his sword, but Lina could hold her own with a lot more ease than before even though she was injured now.

Gaav was no fool and noticed that Xellos's weapon was much better and was giving Lina a bit of an advantage, so he started to get aggressive again with his attacks. Lina was not that happy that Gaav was coming after her more forcefully except that it gave her a chance to pull him away from the corner that he had trapped Zelgadis in. She was glad that Zelgadis was really quick to return to the place where he had lost his sword.

Lina eventually was at a point where she was simply moving backwards and blocking Gaav's blade. Frankly, defensive maneuvers were a little less troublesome upon her shoulder than offensive ones were. She wasn't going to continuously attack unless there was a need. Lina didn't know if it was because Gaav had a super sixth sense when it came to fighting or that it was he could read Lina's expressions really well, but when Zelgadis finally came in to lend a hand, the general blocked him with a simple and what seemed calculated move. Lina only grimaced about that for a second. There wasn't much she could do about the fact that Gaav was so in tuned to fighting.

As soon as Gaav shoved Zelgadis away from him, Lina went in for the attack. She was lucky that Zelgadis was so good at reading her that she didn't need to tell him that they were going to go at Gaav together. For most opponents that they would ever face that would be more than enough to take care of that person. However, Gaav was so quick and powerful that he blew each of them away so fast that it became attacking in turns mostly. When Lina was being thrown back, that was when Zelgadis was bouncing back from Gaav and coming at him with his own attack. The fight remained a constant back and forth of flying back and flying forward, neither of their movements going in the same direction at the same time.

Lina, after being thrown back for the seventh or so time, stayed back instead of going for the immediate attack. When Gaav sent Zelgadis flying near her a few seconds later, Lina simply gave him a subtle glance, and he gave back the slightest nod. This all happened within about two seconds because they weren't about to let the offensive against Gaav have a big break. Without any discussion, Zelgadis and Lina charged at Gaav as hard as they could.

"Two for the price of one, huh?" Gaav said, swinging his sword back in order to knock them away.

Lina nor Zelgadis was too surprised that Gaav's blade was able to stop both of their tracks. However, they were a little pleased that together they were making the general slide back a little on his feet. Neither could have achieved that on their own, so that was a little bit of an accomplishment. As if sensing their pleasure at their efforts, Gaav smirked and started to push them back instead. Lina cursed and Zelgadis made a frustrated sound as their feet were going backwards.

Zelgadis nodded to Lina, which she took as a sign that she could back off for a second. Lina jumped back, letting Zelgadis take in all the force of Gaav's thrust. While he was getting pushed back, Lina tried to be quick to come at Gaav before he could recover, but he wasn't thrown off by her at all. In fact, Lina quickly found herself deflected exactly into the chest of her friend who had just gotten blow away a moment before her. Zelgadis was able to stand his ground and hold onto her so that she, too, wouldn't fall down.

Gaav, confident and amused by their antics, actually lowered his sword and began to laugh at them as if they were putting on the best show. "You two are too sad for words!" he said. "If you really came here with the thought you could take me down, you must be stupider than you look!"

"Shit," Lina said. She moved out of Zelgadis's arms and stood next to him. "He's so damn fast."

"Tell me about it," Zelgadis said. He didn't know which was more irritating: Gaav laughing at them or the exhaustion he felt from being played around with someone who was stronger than him. "But it doesn't make sense to do anything but to go at him together."

"Yeah, you're right." Lina nodded to herself for a few seconds as if thinking very intensely. "Let's try it."

"Try it?"

"I'll cut and you fly."

Even Zelgadis was surprised, though he knew Lina so well, that he was able to understand what that meant. "Got it, but…what about your shoulder?"

Lina held up the staff as if to signify her preparation. "Don't worry about that. Just concentrate on following me or there would be no point."

"Right."

"Oh? Have the two monkeys come up with another little plan?" Gaav laughed after that as if he had said the most amusing joke ever.

"Go!" Lina and Zelgadis's steps were nearly in sync at they ran at Gaav. He looked upon them with almost pity (though such an emotion wasn't possibly for Gaav). He lifted up his sword to simply block them in a way to suggest he saw them as underdogs whom could benefit from a break from Gaav's superior attacks.

Their attack against him was no different than their other team efforts, with Gaav only getting pushed back maybe a few inches before he overwhelmed them. The only difference that the general observed was that they were beginning to dance around a bit more, attacking him from different angles, rather from the front. It made no difference to him which side they decided to come at him; he could easily take them both.

Lina and Zelgadis changed things up again, one coming at Gaav's right and the other to his left. They weren't much surprised that Gaav seemed to vanish before their eyes and then was standing off to the right of them, with a belittling smile. The two were unnerved by this and stood side by side, prepared to go in for another attack.

"I thought you two pieces of trash had something, but if this is all you got, I should cut you up and now and save me the time," Gaav said, scoffing at their miserable state.

Instead of responding to Gaav's taunts, Lina and Zelgagis began throwing what lied along their path to their enemy, moving closer with each thing they moved. Gaav interpreted their moves as an attempt to busy his sword, so they could get closer to him. He immediately sent whatever they threw his way flying to a further point in the room, making sure that they would not be able to repeat this soon again. After they both managed to kick the heavy desk at him and followed it with the armchair behind, the two acted as Gaav expected and attacked him now that they had cleared the last things in between them. His arms were still positioned from when he had batted an a third of the chair to the right. The second the two had a chance to touch him, he simultaneously brought his arm down quickly so that his long blade would meet Lina's to his right and kicked his left leg out of in front of him so that it caught Zelgadis in his middle. The result was Zelgadis went flying first before Gaav sent Lina off seconds later.

Gaav, not worrying about them coming at him right away, looked behind himself to notice that he was about five feet from a wall behind the desk, near the fireplace. He grinned, believing that he was understanding their plan. He laughed, about ready to end their little charade.

"So, you wanted to get me against a wall, huh?" Gaav said, watching them get on their feet. "That was the best idea you morons could think of?"

"It's about that time," Zelgadis said, reluctantly letting go of his stomach that ached.

"Yeah," Lina said. She drew in a breath and started running forward.

Gaav stepped up, thinking that he need not let them think they were going to let him fall back any closer to the wall. Lina and Zelgadis moved as quickly as each other, but Lina was ahead of him by about three steps. Gaav was through waiting for them to come to him, and he moved forward eagerly.

Just as Gaav expected to meet blades with both of Lina first, he saw her disappear before him. Since in the next second Zelgadis had already brought the general's sword to a halt, he had no choice to see what was she was up to.

Lina, within the few seconds she had before she ran into a sharp weapon, had to both make sure that she threw herself underneath the giant in front of her and, in the second she was falling down, flip onto her back. Doing such a detailed maneuver and having her back slid against the wooden floor was intensely painful with her shoulder wound, but Lina didn't have the time to worry about that. Instead, she had to make sure that as she was passing through his tree trunk legs that she made a considerable gash in his right ankle. However, she couldn't do much to stop herself from slamming into a half broken ceramic pot that had once held a plant and then the wall behind Gaav.

Lina again had no time to think of her own well-being and had to focus on Gaav. He didn't react like one might expect when receiving a deep cut, but she did notice that he expertly began to shift the weight off his injured leg. Zelgadis, having been waiting for the moment the general changed his once unbreakable stance, pushed all of his strength into Gaav's weaker side, driving back the powerful force that Gaav was holding against him. Although all of this had to happen within a few seconds, Zelgadis was able to send Gaav's sword flying straight from his hands. It landed where a large chuck of bookcase that Gaav had ruined near the corner at their left. Lina felt a great relief when she saw their plan come through; with a monster like Gaav, they probably had a fraction of a minute before he repositioned himself completely and got over his "slight" handicap.

"All right!" Lina cheered. She began to lift herself off the floor, using the wall to support her.

Zelgadis wasted little time to attack a weaponless Gaav, raising his blade high to slice Gaav from top to bottom. As he brought the sword down, Zelgadis and Lina were shocked to see that Gaav's huge palms clapped together to stop the sword mid-attack. The two were equally surprised by the mere fact they had yet to ever see anyone do this, and the fact that they believed that Zelgadis's power was not so weak that one could merely stop it with their hands.

"I'll give you maggots credit for getting my sword out of my hands—" Gaav said, holding the blade between his hands way too casually.

Lina, midway into straightening herself into a full stand, was quicker to get over the shock and realize what was going to happen next. "Zel! Let go of—!"

"—but you're outta of your mind if ya think this'll help you!" Gaav finished.

Just as Zelgadis was, too, realizing what was going to happen, Gaav had lifted him up by his own sword. Neither of them had a chance to do anything before Gaav, with tremendous strength, flung the sword that Zelgadis still held in his hands across the room into the opposite wall. His body hit it with a loud crash, leaving a noticeable dent, and, as his limp body slid down from where he had been propelled upon, Lina could see a thin trail of blood left behind.

"Zel!" Lina shot up from the wall. Her body immediately let her know that her little move was not appreciated and responded back with painful defiance. She held the staff firmly in her hands, debating whether escape wasn't the best option. That would mean either running out the open door or smashing through the window. The confined area and the scattered pieces in the room were hindrances that she couldn't afford to overlook right now.

Gaav faced her with a confident grin and beckoned her with his hand. "My sword's gone just like you wanted," he said. "Bring it on."

Lina's jaw tightened. She was powerless to help Zelgadis while Gaav was standing in her way. Lina also couldn't afford to let Gaav get his hands on his weapon again; it would waste the efforts that she and her currently knocked out friend had worked for. As long as Lina was able to stand on her two feet and fight, she had no reason to throw in the towel yet. On top of hoping to end the day with her own life, she was determined to get Zelgadis, whom she had forced into the situation with her, out of this in one piece.

With the thought of rescuing the friend she was indebted to, Lina charged at Gaav. There was a definite lag to her step, but Lina pressed on, having no time to let that bother her. What did bother her was Gaav smoothly sidestepping to avoid her. Lina didn't let her frustration get to her and tried again to land a blow on him. Gaav simply moved out of the way just as easily as before. They repeated this for about five times until Lina had to acknowledge that her less than swift steps were hurting her more than she thought they would. Worse than that, Gaav was moving around so agilely that it was hard to believe that there was actually blood leaking from the gash in his ankle.

Each run that Lina made at Gaav reminded her body that she had been thrown around into bits and pieces of things, had a throbbing shoulder wound, and now had a sore head. This, along with her rising anger that she was basically slashing around at air each time Gaav moved out of her way, was making her short of breath. In a heated few seconds she let her better judgment slip away from her, and she lowered her weapon a moment to draw in a breath. She was instantly rewarded for her stupidity to think that even a short break was possible while Gaav was around. Because she hadn't been paying attention, it was almost as if he appeared out of nowhere and rammed his fist into her stomach. At that point, it felt like everything was moving in slow motion as she felt the wind fly out of her and felt the force of his punch move her back many feet into something both hard and sharp. Lina was fighting so many different pains at that point, it took all of her powers of concentration to grit her teeth and not shout out.

Lina heard Gaav laughing at her as she pushed herself forward. Her suspicion that something had pierced her back was correct; she definitely felt something leave her skin after sitting up. She couldn't spare the moment to see what that had been and tried to get on her feet, finding her legs shaking. Despite this, she pushed against all the debris around her and stood. Her head was spinning a bit from the impact, but that luckily hadn't prevented her from noticing at that time she was no longer holding Xellos's staff. It was no time for her to panic, but Lina began frantically scanning the floor for it. When she found that it had fallen from her hands someplace in between her and Gaav, who had moved to admire her the flying trip he had given her, Lina fought against the disoriented feeling creeping up on her as she began to move toward it.

It was no surprise to Lina, inches away from grasping the staff again, that Gaav moved in with better speed to kick Lina out of the way. Lina, although cursing as she fell against the floor, was happy that she fell somewhere that had not a shard from a broken vase or anything sharp to add to her collections of injuries. However, there was little to celebrate about while a still weaponless Lina struggled to get up again, holding her side and thinking that that a broken rib wasn't out of the question.

"Shit…" Lina said, standing again with more difficulty than she enjoyed.

Gaav picked up Xellos's staff and threw it far behind him as he approached Lina. "Can't say that it would be much fun to cut you up with that, the way you are now," Gaav said, looming closer with each word. "It'll be much more fun to beat you down with my own two hands."

Lina hands balled at her sides and shook. She wasn't uncomfortable with a fist fight most of the time, but when she was facing an opponent who clearly outmatched her in strength and speed, she had to rely on cunning to save her. Unfortunately, Lina could barely stop the room from tilting in her mind, much less think of a way to overcome Gaav. Getting back the staff or even grabbing Gaav's blade from where it had landed was impossible with him at close range and her movements too slow. However, they were now fairly close to the door, and while Lina couldn't exactly run to it before Gaav grabbed her, she could by little chance have one of his incredible blows happen to knock her right where she needed to be with some strategic "attacks" of her own. It was a long shot and crazy, but Lina wasn't about to strike down the first resemblance to a plan her brain had come up with.

Gaav seemed pleased that Lina came at him with her fist this time, showing less desperation than he would imagine any sane person would have. She was fully aware that he wouldn't just let her hit him and anticipated that his bear-like arm would come swinging to knock her over. She ducked before she even bothered to see his arm move, knowing that if she waited until his attack was already in motion, she would be too slow to avoid him. She felt his arm pass over her head just as she was moving her fist forward to punch him in his stomach. Lina never made contact, not being able to predict that Gaav would just as quickly bring the arm that passed over her down upon her head. Lina's jaw slammed into the floor.

Spots danced around Lina's eyes, and she tasted blood in her mouth, but she thrust her body toward Gaav and wrapped her arms around his bloody left ankle as tightly as she could. In a few seconds she knew that Gaav was likely to stomp her into the floor with the other foot or flick her off like a bug caught on his shoe. She didn't think that with her lying on her stomach that he would be able to resist flattening her with his heavy shoe, but Lina thought she could convince him to toss her if she clung onto the only place she and Zelgadis had managed to weaken him.

"It's about time you gave up, woman!" Gaav said, raising his left leg.

Lina didn't have a choice in the matter when she would let go of his leg after Gaav whipped his leg to the side, but she was prepared to hit the floor and made sure she rolled after she fell to reduce some of impact. The pain in doing so was a small compensation for achieving her goal of getting closer to the door. Gaav's flick of his leg had landed her about three feet away.

Lina was placing her palms against the floor to push herself up when she heard heavy footsteps quickly heading her way. She barely had time to curse, let alone protect herself, before Gaav ran up and kicked her against the wall next to the door. She couldn't help but cry out in pain, having hit the wall against her other shoulder. She unmistakably heard something snap out of place. She was no stranger to dislocated limbs and how to pop them back where they belonged, but she couldn't do anything about it when she felt herself being lifted up by the collar.

Gaav held her up at eye-level, enjoying the lack of struggle she seemed able to do. "So," he said, "ya still wanna be brave now?"

Lina didn't hesitate to dig deep within her throat and expel a big glob of saliva and blood onto Gaav's face. She smiled as it hit him in the forehead and oozed down the sides of his nose. Gaav, too, smirked at her without bothering to wipe it away.

The next second Lina was slammed into the floor, her vision going black for some seconds after her head got bounced around. Lina couldn't think, much less even get her body to move straight away, after this. She was amazed at herself that she hadn't done more than grunt in reaction. She was swallowing in breathes desperately as if she was unsure that the oxygen would last. Her panting soon turned to screams, however, after Gaav stomped his foot down on her dislocated shoulder and began twisting his heel from side to side.

Lina could do nothing but continue to shriek with pain as Gaav alternated stomping her shoulders and stomach. She was only interrupted by some blood expelling from her mouth and coughing. As if this had been the result Gaav was waiting for, he stopped trying to flatten her to floor and kicked her like a ball into a broken chair and bits of dishes from the center table.

Lina's felt her body's willingness to fight go into decline and felt an inability to process her senses increase. Breathing was equally as painful as whatever was bleeding at that point, and Lina's body shook in both fatigue and resistance to resuming the battle. It took most of her remaining effort to listen (as she didn't have the immediate strength to turn her head) so that she could get an idea about Gaav's next move. She heard laughter and slow steps her way. He seemed to be taking his time to get to her, which took Lina longer than usual to figure out in her deteriorated state.

She was on her back at first, fighting to keep her heavy eyelids from falling down. However, each heavy step that echoed in her ringing ears encouraged her to fight for consciousness a little while longer. Her vision was blurred and her body ached as if her body was punishing her from the inside for still being alive, but Lina pushed herself forward to only topple to the point her lips were inches from touching the floor. The steps were closer by then, almost next to her head. Lina weakly propped herself up on her arms and looked up to see a massive blob above her. She didn't need clear vision to tell that he was grinning victoriously at her condition. Lina's head dropped down, and she closed her eyes in preparation to experience yet another excruciating blow.

Eventually Gaav's laughter ended, and Lina's body tensed, expecting pain to follow immediately after. Thirty seconds or so passed and Lina felt nothing. She began to wonder if her hearing had completely gone away from all of the abuse to her skull. She took in a careful but labored breath and slowly opened her eyes.

In front of her she saw the figure that seemed to be Gaav, standing like a statue. What was significant now was there was a second, smaller figure behind him. Lina was in no condition to think clearly, but slowly her brain put together that Zelgadis had somehow gotten back to his feet and was fighting in her place. This thought intensified the more she stared at the blurry figures, and concern began to take precedence over her own well-being. She opened her mouth to express her protest, thinking he shouldn't be moving around so quickly after having his head slammed, but her mouth wasn't forming words correctly and an incomprehensible sound came out instead.

"Whatever are you saying, Lina-san?"

Lina gradually got herself up into a sitting position. She rubbed her eyes tenderly and blinked deliberately over and over until things started coming into better focus. Things were still shaky and fuzzy, but she could see that her ears hadn't betrayed her, and Xellos was indeed standing behind Gaav. Lina, however, thought she had to be dreaming and had passed out after Gaav had given her the final blow—a blade was clearly sticking out of Gaav's chest.

In the few minutes of rest Lina had gotten after falling for the last time, Lina's mind was starting to recover a little. It was flooded with the many things she wanted to say concerning this dream-like development. Lina was moving her lips, but her heavy breathing and fluid in her throat wasn't helping her voice much of any of those.

"Wh…at…?" Lina choked out, after several attempts.

Xellos smiled at her from behind Gaav and held up his hands. "There will be plenty of time to explain that later," he said. "First, we should take care of your wounds."

Lina struggled to speak as Xellos walked around Gaav and approached her. He was walking with much less vigor than he always did, but he was doing a very good job considering he had been run through not too long ago. When he reached her, he crouched down to her and offered his hand.

"Save your energy," he said.

Lina, unable to really believe that Xellos was standing before her while Gaav was incapacitated behind them, ignored his hand and kept staring at Gaav. Her eyes widened as she saw the general's lips turn up into a smile and his hands slowly reach up to the blade in his chest. Lina croaked out for Xellos's attention, but he only chided her and asked her to not be so stubborn to accept his help.

Gaav's soft laughter that got louder with each breath was what caused Xellos to turn away from Lina. He slowly rose and moved a little in Gaav's direction before he stopped. Lina was still leaning toward the impression that she was dreaming.

Gaav took a small step forward. "Nothing less from the man who would stab someone in the back for a piece of gold," he said.

Xellos smirked in return. "Nothing less from the man rumored to be an immortal monster," he said. "Who else would be standing here so carefree with a sword through their chest?"

Gaav snorted. "Next time you want to kill someone, ya outta aim for the heart."

"I won't make the mistake twice." Xellos lifted his foot up halfway from the floor.

In a flash Gaav had reached Xellos and held him in a chokehold. "I won't let you!"

Lina didn't think she was dreaming anymore—she was clearly in a nightmare. Gaav lifted Xellos by his neck and began swinging him around like he was a bag of clothes. His delighted laughter boomed in Lina's ears and filled her with terror that she didn't think possible before. She was beginning to think that she needed to prepare for her own death after Xellos's until she saw Gaav, shaking around a helpless Xellos, turn his back to her. She was sure her head was messed up, but it seemed to her as if the red orb of his staff was glowing. Whether she was losing her mind or not, this "light" drew her attention to the staff and urged her to approach it.

The pain Lina was enduring was winning over her willpower, and her consciousness was no longer in her control. Her mind was telling her to move toward the light, so although she had little faith in what power she had left, she made this her upmost command to her body.

She blacked out for a length of time Lina couldn't say, but when she had her senses again she was standing uncertainly on her feet. Her vision was worsening and she couldn't hear what was around her, but the red light was clearly still beckoning her onward. When she tried to step forward, she faded out of consciousness again. The next thing she recalled, she was standing behind Gaav with her hand wrapped around the glowing ball. Lina's body was moving without her really understanding what was going on.

Gaav whirled around as he felt Lina yank the blade from him. "You fucking bi—"

Lina cut him off as her hand automatically plunged the blade into Gaav again, missing one of Xellos's legs just barely, and stabbing Gaav through the heart. She was sure she was imagining everything that was happening, especially when her warped vision was showing her not only a blade going into Gaav but another blade coming out of him only about a centimeter away. This was excellent proof to Lina that she had passed out a long time ago and was imagining how Gaav could have been killed.

Xellos fell from Gaav's hands a moment before the giant general finally came crashing down himself. Lina didn't think she could be surprised anymore by her pain-induced illusions, but seeing Zelgadis standing behind the two that fell made her eyes widen.

"Zel…?" Lina said, more surprised that even a weak version of her voice came out.

Zelgadis smiled at her and sighed. "Looks like you were all right after all," he said.

Lina made the faintest smile, enjoying the sound (though she couldn't comprehend the words) of her friend. As if that were the signal for her body to finally give up, everything went black, and Lina felt her body lighten as all the strength left it. She was dead to the world before her body reached the floor.

* * *

The first thing Lina noticed when she was aware of the world again were the warm and soft sensations against her skin. It was wrapped all around her as if she was enclosed in a cloud cocoon that was heated from the sun shining on it from the sky. The second thing she sensed was ache that ran throughout her entire body. It felt as if a pack of horses had trampled her. However, compared to when she could recall her last bit of consciousness, her pain had been lessened. It was less that she felt like she was going to die if she tried to even wiggle her finger, and now more like she would just have to avoid any more fights for a month or so.

Lina realized that she was operating with a much fuller mental capacity than before now. Her eyelids were still heavy so she didn't open them just yet. Instead, she reached out her hands to recognize the feel of a fine and delicate cloth, letting her know that she was in a bed. Her light movement also made her aware of the bandages wrapped here and there on her body. It was a relief to assume she didn't need to worry about blood gushing out of her if she sat up. She sighed in content, and although she felt like she could sleep for a full day, she reluctantly and carefully opened her eyes.

Her eyes immediately came to focus upon another set of purple eyes, and Lina threw out her fist as she screamed. She hopped out of the bed, taking no mind of the reciprocal pain, and made it to the door before she even understood the situation. As she calmed down from her initial shock, she saw Xellos on the floor, holding his nose. Lina was only curious about that for a second and quickly tried to open the door. She was further surprised when the door opened by itself as she gripped the knob. She released it to find Zelgadis, brow raised to the bandage covering most of his head, waiting behind the door.

"Oh, you're awake," he said, joining her in the doorway.

Lina felt tears form in the corner of her eyes. "Zel!" she cried. She didn't think for a second about jumping into his arms and locking him in a hug. It hurt, but it felt emotionally better than the physical pain.

Zelgadis laughed and gently squeezed her back, not wanting to put her in anymore pain than she already was. "And here I was worried if you'd be able to move like yourself any time soon," he said.

Xellos grabbed the side of the bed as he rose from the floor. "Hidoi desu yo, Lina-san!" he protested. "I spent all this time taking care of you, and you smack me in the face upon first sight."

"There's almost no one I'd want to see less than you, so what would you expect?" Lina muttered, looking around the room. She recognized the fancy architecture she had gotten accustomed to during her "prison" days with Xellos. "What happened to Gaav?"

"It's all been taken care of!" Xellos reported cheerfully.

While Lina was trying hard to not even dignify Xellos with a glare, Zelgadis added to Xellos's comment. "Yeah, you would never guess a battle broke out downstairs," he said with a hint of bitterness that Lina didn't miss. "Everything has already been replaced and repaired. I would have left sooner, but you were so battered up last night that I didn't want to risk moving you around too much."

Lina shook her head once, feeling a horrible sensation when she did. She patted Zelgadis on the shoulder. "Gotcha," she said. "Let's just go now. I think I might have overdone it getting out of bed, so help me get down the stairs."

"Sure—"

Zelgadis barely touched Lina's arm before Xellos's hand was around Zelgadis's wrist. He carefully removed Zelgadis's hand from Lina, smiling in a polite way that irritated everyone else in the room. Zelgadis opened his mouth halfway to question him.

"I'd like a word with Lina-san, if you don't mind."

"The hell I—"

"Fine," Lina said, interrupting Zelgadis. She had noticed that her friend had already poised his hands to strike Xellos; she was a little too tired to fight with anyone at that moment, even if it wasn't physically.

Zelgadis looked displeased but relaxed his hands at his side. "All right," he said. "I'll leave you with him, but I'll be back in 10 minutes."

As Zelgadis made a quick retreat from the room, Lina promised him it wouldn't take that long before he shut the door with a little more force than was needed. After he left, Lina immediately walked a distance from Xellos and closed her eyes as she folded her arms over her chest. Frankly, just looking at him made her want to grab the bed and squash him like a pancake.

"What do you want?" Lina asked impatiently. "And it better not be an apol—"

Lina stopped as she felt Xellos hold her cheek. "Thank goodness you're all right," he said softly.

Lina eyes shot open, and she threw away Xellos's hand as hard as she could. The throbbing pain that shot through her arm and shoulder was worth satisfying the boiling rage she felt. "You don't have the right to be relieved," she said between her teeth.

Xellos laughed and placed the hand she had tossed near his heart. "You're quite right, Lina-san," he said. "It's my fault things progressed so badly, but you were just so insistent upon not letting me protect you."

If Lina could spit fire, she would have then. "What? You're blaming me for this after all that's happened? You have some nerve!"

Xellos held up a hand. "I'm telling you the truth," he said. He tried not to laugh as she rolled his eyes at him. "I know that my 'truth' has no value to you, but I'm begging you to listen to me this time. After you almost got killed by Gaav, I don't want to end things with a pointless lie."

"And what lie is that?" Lina asked. She held her forehead, finding the conversation draining the little energy she had. "Was it a lie that you sold me to Gaav? Because yesterday morning you were very eager to see your plan come together."

"Do you even know what the plan really was?"

"Of course!" Lina felt like strangling him, if only it wouldn't make her arms hurt so much. "You send me out for the day on some insignificant errand, so that I won't be in the house all day. By the time I would get back, I have no clue that Gaav is waiting for me in the house, and I get ambushed by him and his lackeys. They take me away to do unspeakable things to me, while you sit around in your mansion counting all the gold you earned from me."

Xellos's laughter at her summary made her hand burn to slap him across the face. It was beginning to be worth the pain. When he stopped and looked at her as if she were a moron, Lina's hand unconsciously began to rise.

"If that was my plan, then why did I tell Gaav that I didn't know where you were?" Xellos challenged.

"That was a trap. You obviously knew we were listening—"

"What sort of trap involves me letting my buyer think I don't have his 'goods' and getting myself stabbed? Or was his angry and bloody reaction to my words a clever trick to get you to rush into the room?"

Lina was starting to see a lot of holes in her own theory, but was too furious to back down. "Ye-Yes," she said. Her mind flashed back to when Xellos was standing behind Gaav with a sword sticking out of his chest. "You obviously weren't hurt because you were able to get up and run Gaav through later!"

Xellos lifted up his shirt, showing thick bandaging around his torso. Lina muttered that he could just be playing dress-up. Xellos volunteered to unravel them and show her the impressive and hole he now possessed. Lina contemplated it for a second before she waved her hands.

"OK, OK—it's real," Lina said. She took in a breath. "Then please enlighten me with the 'truth' about your plan."

Xellos made a chiding sound. "Lina-san, you still don't get it," he said. When she made a confused look at him, he smiled at her admiringly. "You're so cute when you look like you have no idea what's going on."

Lina didn't know how long she could stand there before her anger made her fall off her feet. "I'm tired of you fooling around with me," she said. "I don't want to know."

Lina walked past him, but Xellos quickly moved in front of her again. She made a murderously impatient face while he promised to stop teasing her and tell her what she really wanted to hear. However, he couldn't help but smile contentedly at her angry face, despite he was trying to convey a serious matter.

"I sent you away yesterday in the hopes that I could take care of Gaav myself before you returned," Xellos explained. "I never intended for you two to even meet each other. I tried so hard to scare you away from me, but your distrust seemed to only make you cling to me just to find out what I was doing."

"What?" Lina couldn't imagine any person coming up with such a stupid idea. Anyone who knew Xellos as well as she did would be equally cautious about doing what Xellos seemed to want a person to do. "If you wanted me gone, then why didn't just say so?"

Xellos sighed. "I have little confidence that you would do anything I asked you to with the kind of relationship we've had thus far," he said. "I thought if I kept implying you would be in danger without specifically spelling out that you should get out of town, you'd do so on your own. Like you did when you were being forced to be my live-in servant."

Lina was simply looking at him with an unreadable expression. Xellos gave her a moment to respond to what he had said, but she didn't seem eager to offer any kind of argument or acknowledgment. Xellos took it upon himself to continue.

"Why do you think I was so angry that you had ironically come back when I so desperately wanted you far away?"

Lina hated to admit that she had been so puzzled by that, unsatisfied with any theory that she came up with. "I don't know…" she said. Her anger was ignited again as he made a face suggesting that she was being less than intelligent. "It's not because you wanted me out of danger's way! You may like me or whatever your sick mind considers it, but you would never choose me over one gold coin! Even though you killed Gaav—"

"That was you and Zelgadis-san."

"Whatever! The point is that you value money more than anything else. I'm sure you still have the money he paid you for me."

"Most certainly." Lina made a disgusted face and Xellos grinned. "I have you to thank for that, Lina-san. You must recall that mysterious man who visited here a few days ago? He was Gaav's messenger, whose job was to confirm that you were there so that I would be paid. If you had been gone, as I had intended, I was going to inform him that the deal was off and suggest a few places that Gaav might search for you himself. Those places would be dead ends, of course."

"You expect me to believe that you intended to cancel your deal with Gaav, make no money, and create a deadly enemy like him?"

"I would love for you to believe me," Xellos said, touching her shoulder lightly. "The last thing I intended to do was be responsible for you being beaten and bandaged like this."

Lina pulled away from him. "I don't care what you say," she said. "This is what happens when someone as evil as you tries to protect someone—they end up nearly dead."

Xellos was quiet as if agreeing with her. After a while he asked her, "Why didn't you just run away?" he said. "You can't be so brave that it borders on foolishness."

"You think I'm going to run away from some threat that I don't even know?" Lina said. She folded her arms again. "I have no problems running away from you because I know what kind of horrible things can happen when I'm with you, but your little hints only sounded like you were trying to manipulate me. I had to stay so I could try and stop your plan before you completed it."

"…Sorry."

"Go to hell. I'll never forgive you, you scheming bastard."

Xellos stared at her hard, making Lina a little uncomfortable, but she tried to maintain the disgust on her face. He lowered his head slightly.

"I am truly regretful for the way things ended and…a lot of other things."

Lina wondered what were these other things he mentioned since there seemed to be some meaning that she missed, but her patience was spent, and she saw no reason to prolong their conversation. "Well, thanks for the 'truth' or whatever that story was you just told me," she said. "If you don't mind, I'll be leaving now before Zel drags me away."

Lina felt instant relief after she made it past Xellos and no longer had to look at the odd expression on his face that most people would think was a genuine emotion coming through, but for Lina only seemed to be some kind of mask to hide whatever he was really feeling then. Her ease went away just as fast as she felt arms wrap around her tightly. It was a little painful with all of her tender areas, but it was mostly infuriating that he would try to touch her again.

"What the hell are you doing?" She was more irritated that her voice expressed more of her nervousness about his hands folded on top of her stomach and an inability to see him from behind.

Xellos's grip only tightened upon her as she struggled to pull away, and she winced at each of her attempts, hating that she couldn't do more without hurting herself in the process. She tried to move less dramatically and let her voice do most of the work. Her throat hadn't been damaged in her fight with Gaav, so it was the least painful.

"I've made up my mind," Xellos whispered, but Lina heard him clearly above her head.

Lina's heart rate only increased the longer she had to be in Xellos's arms. "Made up your mind about what?" she said, wondering how long she would have to suffer his insanity. "Let go of me!"

"I have no reason to keep that contract we had before, but I might interest you in a different sort of 'contract.'"

"How stupid do you think I am? Get off of me!"

"What if I said with just your signature you'd be one of the richest women alive?"

Lina fought hard against the delicious offer of money; it was much easier than it was when she had initially fell into Xellos's trap, having knowledge of the consequences. "What kind of stupid trick are you trying to pull?" she said, her voice more interested than she wanted it to sound. "I'd just sign something and get enough money to buy everything I've ever wanted?"

"It's no trick," Xellos said. "It's completely legal, and people do it every day."

Lina's better judgment was losing to her greed, and she found herself asking, "What would I be agreeing to?"

"You'd be agreeing to marry me."

Lina had a good idea where Xellos had been stabbed the day before and shoved her elbow with all her might into that very spot. When Xellos sunk to the floor and trembled in what Lina perceived to be real pain, she confirmed that he hadn't been lying about the wound after all. She would have stayed and exploited that fact if she hadn't reached her tolerance of her by then.

Xellos held onto his wound, watching Lina leave his side. "I'm serious about marriage," he said. "As my wife, you could have all the money you wanted and more."

"There isn't enough money in the world to even let that cross my mind," Lina said, as she opened the door. She waved to him without turning around. "Bye, Xellos. I hope I never see you again."

As Lina walked out the door, Xellos called out, "I won't give up so easily!" She was beginning to close the door behind her. "I'll definitely make you the first and only Mrs. Metallium!"

Lina didn't stop but before the door clicked shut she muttered, "Don't say such disgusting things."

Xellos clearly heard her footsteps become fainter as she went down the hallway, but he smiled at the door as if Lina were still present in the room. "Just wait, my lovely Lina-san," he said. "You will see how determined I am. No matter what it takes."

**EPILOGUE**

Xellos took a thoughtful drink from his teacup and rested it lightly on the saucer. Although the sound of the dishes making contact with each other was slight, it seemed to echo in midst of the deserted restaurant. He could clearly hear the crackle from the flame burning the candlewick sitting in the center of the table. It was daytime, but the curtains were all drawn in the spacious room, and the candle served as one of the few sources of light. The other was from another flame occupied by the person sitting across from him.

"I would like to see that vermin eliminated sooner rather than later, Xellos. I'm running out of patience with the few business interruptions I've been experiencing."

"Please do not concern yourself with such boring matters," Xellos said. "I have my best man handling that as we speak."

Zelas moved her slender and ringed fingers around her ivory cigarette holder. "Usually, I wouldn't have to remind you to prioritize my 'boring matters' because you would have already taken action before I had to know about them. However, Lina Inverse has been a significant distraction for you as of late."

"I humbly apologize for not accomplishing things above your expectations, ojousama. I assure you that my fascination with her will not interfere with my work."

"It certainly didn't when you were handling Gaav."

Xellos smiled grimly, not missing the sarcasm in her cold voice. He didn't dare try to argue with her, as she was not the type who was pleased with debate. Xellos remained a statue even when a cloud of smoke danced around his face.

"I won't be as generous to overlook your romantic endeavors if it turns out you can't execute this task I've assigned you."

Xellos bowed his head. "Forgive me for appearing less than useful to you. The vermin will absolutely be erased in a timely fashion."

"I won't tolerate anything less." Zelas tapped out her cigarette. "You'll remember I told you a long time ago that I have no use for worthless people."

Xellos grinned like a cat and slowly lifted his cup in the air. "I shall never forget, and I'll restore your faith in me soon. Lina Inverse will surely not be a problem for me again."


End file.
